Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. Acquires New Shares in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 18,119 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $5,631,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,890,438,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 30,979.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,596,340 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $806,917,000 after purchasing an additional 2,587,986 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 9,867.5% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,541,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $776,608,000 after purchasing an additional 2,515,515 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 171.7% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 49.9% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,104,337 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $948,779,000 after purchasing an additional 1,033,041 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $331.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $335.58.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is rolling out new limited-time items, including Caesar sauce, new chicken offerings, and other menu tests, which could help boost customer interest and restaurant traffic. McDonald’s builds its new menu around a flavor it never sold
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view McDonald’s as a strong defensive restaurant name, with commentary pointing to customer engagement, value messaging, and marketing campaigns as potential supports for sales. Can McDonald’s Global Marketing Strategy Drive Customer Traffic?
• Positive Sentiment: One Wall Street note kept a Buy rating on MCD even while trimming its price target, suggesting analysts still see upside from current levels. Citigroup price target change
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is drawing extra attention from investors and traders, with recent coverage framing the stock as a valuation and defensive-name debate rather than a clear new catalyst. MCD at $268, Starbucks at $106: Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Negative Sentiment: Several articles focus on ongoing “McProblem” issues, including concerns that McDonald’s traffic and business momentum have not improved enough, which may be reinforcing investor worries about the core growth outlook. McDonald’s has a McProblem that’s not getting better
• Negative Sentiment: Another report says McDonald’s stock is near its lowest levels in almost two years, highlighting pressure from weaker sentiment and a more cautious view of the company’s growth. Why McDonald’s stock is at nearly 2-year lows

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $273.38 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $277.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $300.56. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $264.09 and a 52-week high of $341.75. The company has a market cap of $194.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.54, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total value of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,681 shares of company stock worth $2,456,440. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is a global quick-service restaurant company best known for its hamburgers, French fries and breakfast offerings. The company develops, operates and franchises a system of restaurants that sell a range of food and beverage items, including signature products such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets, McCafé coffee beverages and a variety of salads, desserts and seasonal menu items. McDonald’s serves customers through company-operated restaurants and franchised locations, and it supports sales via dine-in, drive-thru, digital ordering platforms and third-party delivery partnerships.

Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald as a single San Bernardino, California restaurant, the business was transformed into a franchising model after Ray Kroc joined in the mid-1950s and led the brand’s national and international expansion.