McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Hilltop Holdings Inc.

Hilltop Holdings Inc. lessened its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 60.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,209 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 17,481 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rockbridge Investment Management LCC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. Rockbridge Investment Management LCC now owns 1,341 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 9.2% during the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 17,058 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,301,000 after buying an additional 1,441 shares during the period. Klingman & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% during the first quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 5,418 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,684,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 17.8% during the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,384 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,805,000 after buying an additional 1,874 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keebeck Wealth Management increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 3,383 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,051,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. Evercore set a $320.00 target price on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday. Erste Group Bank lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. BTIG Research decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $370.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $334.32.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the firm’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 directly owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,348 shares of company stock valued at $2,355,634. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Key McDonald’s News

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 Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $264.46 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $187.90 billion, a PE ratio of 21.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $275.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $298.87. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $260.96 and a 1 year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

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.