McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Acquired by Erste Asset Management GmbH

Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 41.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,714 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,982 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,064,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 95.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. DecisionPoint Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1,616.7% during the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 103 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Painted Porch Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 735.7% in the third quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore set a $350.00 target price on McDonald’s in a report on Friday, May 8th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Truist Financial raised their price target on McDonald’s from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $336.26.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD opened at $282.08 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $290.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $307.22. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $271.85 and a one year high of $341.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $200.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 61.34%.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is piloting AI ordering systems at select U.S. drive-thrus, a move that could reduce labor friction and improve throughput if adoption goes well. McDonald’s pilots AI system at select US drive-thru locations
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s FIFA World Cup meal promotions, collectible cups, toys, and other limited-time items could support customer traffic and sales momentum. McDonald’s just announced special World Cup meals only available for a limited time
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators continue to frame McDonald’s as a resilient long-term holding, citing its franchise model, dividends, and defensive qualities. McDonald’s stock could be bottoming, creating a contrarian bet for long-term investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on McDonald’s new strategic direction and beverage innovation, highlighting possible growth opportunities but without a clear near-term earnings impact. McDonald’s outlines new strategic course
• Negative Sentiment: Fresh workplace-incident reports and culture concerns may create some investor caution around operational oversight and brand reputation. McDonald’s Workplace Incidents Put Culture Risks And Investor Focus In Spotlight

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total value of $806,182.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,578,800. This trade represents a 23.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 6,055 shares of company stock valued at $1,769,373 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

About McDonald’s

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.