McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Stock Holdings Lessened by Rit Capital Partners PLC

Rit Capital Partners PLC reduced its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 21.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 67,500 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 18,100 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises approximately 5.6% of Rit Capital Partners PLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Rit Capital Partners PLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $20,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. ABN Amro Investment Solutions grew its position in McDonald’s by 218.4% during the first quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 111,392 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $34,620,000 after purchasing an additional 76,402 shares in the last quarter. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the 1st quarter worth approximately $614,000. HORAN Wealth LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 81.4% in the 1st quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 3,026 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $930,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares in the last quarter. DJE Kapital AG boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. DJE Kapital AG now owns 45,617 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $14,139,000 after buying an additional 5,200 shares during the period. Finally, Andra AP fonden boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 995.1% during the 1st quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 87,171 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $27,092,000 after buying an additional 79,211 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Citigroup reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $375.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered McDonald’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $336.32.

McDonald’s Stock Down 1.5%

NYSE MCD opened at $263.76 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $263.65 and a 12-month high of $341.75. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $276.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $299.70.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion for 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%. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.34%.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several bullish commentaries argue McDonald’s recent weakness may be an opportunity, citing improving top- and bottom-line growth, international resilience, and compressed earnings multiples that could make the stock more attractive. McDonald’s Sell-Off Is Your Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Another analyst upgrade says McDonald’s consistency deserves a higher multiple, pointing to faster recent revenue and earnings growth as evidence of a potential turnaround. McDonald’s: Consistency Deserves A Better Multiple (Rating Upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: Menu innovation remains a supportive storyline, with McDonald’s rolling out new breakfast biscuits, a honey brown butter biscuit, and a Caesar menu that could help drive traffic and keep the brand in the conversation. McDonald’s Just Added 2 New Biscuits To Their Breakfast Menu
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent consumer-interest articles and product reviews highlight new limited-time menu items, but these are not yet proven to materially change earnings expectations. Review: McDonald’s Caesar sauce is the tangy menu addition we didn’t know we needed
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks noted that McDonald’s stock fell while the broader market improved, reinforcing the view that investors are rotating away from the name for now. McDonald’s (MCD) Stock Declines While Market Improves: Some Information for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish coverage says McDonald’s still may not be cheap enough despite the pullback, suggesting the market remains concerned about upside versus risk. McDonald’s: Still Not Good Enough

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 8,681 shares of company stock worth $2,456,440 over the last three months. Company 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.