Waycross Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Waycross Partners LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 1,387.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 59,567 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 55,562 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up approximately 1.8% of Waycross Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $18,513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Peterson Wealth Services grew its position in McDonald’s by 3,294.5% during 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 during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its position 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 worth $10,853,000 after acquiring an additional 16,252 shares during the period. Capital International Sarl raised its position 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 worth $19,639,000 after acquiring an additional 6,079 shares during the period. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $7,493,000. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 21,487 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 3,866 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, 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 transaction of $769,108.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,681 shares of company stock valued at $2,456,440. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on McDonald’s from $331.00 to $322.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $336.32.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of MCD stock opened at $267.74 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $190.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.07, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $277.07 and its 200 day moving average is $300.28. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $264.09 and a 12 month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The business had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.34%.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target on McDonald’s to $390 from $385 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling confidence that the stock has meaningful upside from current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage and commentary continue to highlight McDonald’s value offerings, loyalty efforts, localized marketing, and menu innovation as ways the company can support customer traffic and defend sales trends.
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is expected to report second-quarter earnings next month, with consensus calling for modest single-digit profit growth, keeping investor focus on whether traffic and margins improve.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent product news, including the new Caesar sauce and other menu rollouts, is generating consumer interest, but the items appear more promotional than clearly material to near-term earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Articles questioning why McDonald’s stock is at nearly two-year lows and noting a 10.1% decline over the past six months versus a rising S&P 500 suggest investors are worried about relative underperformance and slowing momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary describing a “McProblem” that is not getting better points to continuing concerns about business execution, customer traffic, or overall sentiment toward the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: One recent piece also urged investors to stay skeptical, indicating that while the stock may look attractive to some value investors, there are still fundamental questions weighing on shares.

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.