Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd Sells 5,666 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd lowered its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 6.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 78,914 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 5,666 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for 0.7% of Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $24,526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $2,890,438,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 30,979.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 2,587,986 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 9,867.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 2,515,515 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 171.7% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $913,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974,998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 49.9% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,104,337 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $948,779,000 after acquiring an additional 1,033,041 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price target on McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings cut McDonald’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $334.32.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $264.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $275.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $298.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $260.96 and a 52 week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 61.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the company’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 owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 8,348 shares of company stock valued at $2,355,634 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s announced a quarterly dividend of $1.86 per share, reinforcing its reputation as a steady income stock and highlighting continued cash generation. McDONALD’S ANNOUNCES QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research kept a buy rating on McDonald’s and said the stock still offers meaningful upside, even after cutting its price target to $350 from $370. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Recent consumer-focused coverage around McValue packs, online availability, and a new dipping sauce suggests McDonald’s is still leaning on value-driven promotions and menu innovation to drive traffic. Here’s what’s new at McDonald’s this week
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage highlighting McDonald’s new McValue packs and online ordering is more promotional than financial, so it may help awareness but does not yet prove a material sales lift. McDonald’s McValue packs now available online. Here’s how to score one
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media continue to frame McDonald’s as a defensive dividend name, but that alone is not enough to offset broader concerns about consumer spending. These 4 Dividend Stocks Are Money-Printing Machines
• Negative Sentiment: New research indicates restaurant customers remain highly price sensitive despite lower gas prices, which is a warning sign for traffic and margins at McDonald’s. McDonald’s (MCD) Faces Stubborn Price Sensitive Traffic Despite Lower Gas Prices
• Negative Sentiment: McDonald’s recently hit a new 52-week low, and commentary around the stock suggests investors are waiting for the August 4 earnings report before buying the dip. McDonald’s Just Hit a New 52-Week Low. Don’t Buy the Dip Until After August 4.
• Negative Sentiment: StockTwits-style coverage also points to McDonald’s trading near 52-week lows amid broader concerns about weakening consumer demand. Why Did PEGA, ISRG, MCD Stocks Plunge To 52-Week Lows Today?

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.