McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Stock Position Lessened by Soltis Investment Advisors LLC

Soltis Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 56.9% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,111 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,110 shares during the quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $841,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MCD. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $2,890,438,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 30,979.0% in the first 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 boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 9,867.5% in the fourth 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 stake in shares of McDonald’s by 171.7% during 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 period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 49.9% during 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 period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s second-quarter earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $3.38 versus the $3.32 consensus. Franchise-related strength, international growth, beverage opportunities and a planned U.S. recovery could support a rebound if management improves traffic and execution. McDonald’s Q2 Earnings Beat Puts U.S. Traffic and Margins in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: New and returning menu offerings—including a fall coffee flavor, limited-time meals and the Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meal—could generate customer engagement and incremental visits. A gas-savings promotion may also enhance value perceptions. McDonald’s Has 8 New Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meal Toys

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD stock opened at $266.88 on Thursday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $260.96 and a 52-week high of $341.75. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $272.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $188.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.06. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 572.06%. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.19 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Tigress Financial upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Evercore set a $320.00 target price on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $322.00 to $319.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $325.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,348 shares of company stock valued at $2,355,634. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.