Nicholas Company Inc. Acquires 20,565 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Nicholas Company Inc. increased its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 11.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 199,475 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 20,565 shares during the quarter. Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $60,966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 162.5% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. DecisionPoint Financial LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1,616.7% in the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 103 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Painted Porch Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 735.7% in the 3rd quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $275.62 on Monday. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $274.83 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75. The company has a market cap of $195.83 billion, a PE ratio of 22.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $311.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $311.40.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s beat Q1 earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $2.83 and revenue of $6.52 billion, helping reassure investors that the brand is still executing well in a tougher consumer environment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Global comparable sales rose 3.8%, supported by value meals, loyalty spending, and new menu items such as the Big Arch burger and specialty drinks, showing McDonald’s value push is driving traffic and sales growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts kept bullish ratings even as they trimmed price targets, reflecting confidence that McDonald’s can keep gaining share and recover if consumer demand stabilizes. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MCD. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Evercore set a $350.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $335.14.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.72, for a total transaction of $100,805.76. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,442,042.24. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total value of $8,764,097.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,638,066. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.