Virtu Financial LLC Trims Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Virtu Financial LLC cut its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 29.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,498 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 3,511 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Peterson Wealth Services boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 3,294.5% in the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 11,779 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,600,000 after buying an additional 11,432 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 84.4% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 35,510 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $10,853,000 after acquiring an additional 16,252 shares during the period. Capital International Sarl lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 64,256 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $19,639,000 after acquiring an additional 6,079 shares during the period. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $7,493,000. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 21,487 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 3,866 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

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 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 11,307 shares of company stock worth $3,262,622 over the last quarter. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $279.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $198.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $271.85 and a 1 year high of $341.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $286.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $305.80.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is reviving its original Fried Apple Pie for the first time since 1992, a nostalgia-driven menu move that could boost customer traffic, social buzz, and limited-time sales. McDonald’s (MCD) Brings Back Fried Apple Pie After More Than 30 Years
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst coverage highlighted McDonald’s value meals, menu innovation, and brand activations as helping lift same-store sales, with Australia cited as a key area of momentum. McDonald’s Blends Value With Brand Activations: Is It Paying Off?
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a rating upgrade arguing McDonald’s “McValue” strategy has finally reached buy territory, reinforcing the case that the company’s value offerings are supporting demand. McDonald’s (Mc)Value Finally Reaches Buy Territory (Rating Upgrade)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage around McDonald’s AI drive-thru plans suggests the company is still experimenting with automation to improve service and efficiency, but the near-term stock impact is unclear. McDonald’s AI drive-thru may take your next order
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles about historic landmarks, Happy Meal toys, and food trivia are mostly brand-related publicity and are less likely to materially move the stock on their own.
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent commentary remains cautious, with one article arguing McDonald’s is still delivering but not enough to justify a buy, which may temper enthusiasm for the shares. McDonald’s: Still Delivering, But Not Enough For A Buy

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Cfra raised shares of McDonald’s to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $336.26.

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.