Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Raises Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 7.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,884 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,172 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $9,909,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,351,127 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $22,112,675,000 after purchasing an additional 703,458 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in McDonald’s by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,983,997 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,997,789,000 after purchasing an additional 959,140 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,038,519 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,195,965,000 after purchasing an additional 76,090 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,474,749 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,895,768,000 after purchasing an additional 277,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,890,438,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 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 $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total value of $1,493,248.64. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 8,681 shares of company stock worth $2,456,440 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $331.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $375.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $335.58.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $273.38 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $194.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $277.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.56. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $264.09 and a 1 year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. Analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

McDonald’s News Roundup

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 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.