McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Purchased by Global X Japan Co. Ltd.

Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 236.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,571 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,976,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MCD. Swedbank AB lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.3% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,093,568 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $332,324,000 after buying an additional 3,084 shares in the last quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Chatham Capital Group Inc. now owns 25,687 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $7,806,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Optas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,730 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $526,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 8.8% in the third quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 1,223 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strong Tower Advisory Services increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.8% in the third quarter. Strong Tower Advisory Services now owns 8,702 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,645,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $310.96 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $276.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The firm has a market cap of $221.45 billion, a PE ratio of 26.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50-day moving average of $307.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $303.89.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.23 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $362.00 to $358.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Mizuho raised shares of McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $324.57.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,005,760. The trade was a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $5,311,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,169,430. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.