18,857 Shares in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Purchased by Plato Investment Management Ltd

Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 18,857 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $5,067,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,351,127 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $22,112,675,000 after buying an additional 703,458 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,983,997 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $10,997,789,000 after buying an additional 959,140 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 76,090 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in McDonald’s by 3.0% in the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 277,617 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $2,890,438,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. Evercore set a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $322.00 to $319.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $325.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were 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 owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 8,348 shares of company stock worth $2,355,634 over the last quarter. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $266.88 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $272.94 and a 200-day moving average of $294.15. McDonald’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $260.96 and a twelve month high of $341.75. The firm has a market cap of $188.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 60.44%.

Key McDonald’s News

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 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.