McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Donaldson Capital Management LLC

Donaldson Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 211,078 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 3,563 shares during the period. McDonald’s comprises 2.1% of Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $64,512,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. 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 last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 95.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 735.7% in the third quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: KPop Demon Hunters promotion could drive significant near-term sales and traffic — some outlets estimate a large, rapid revenue boost from the campaign. How ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ meals could make McDonald’s $100M in just a few days
• Positive Sentiment: Company is leveraging pop-culture partnerships with two new adult Happy Meals and five menu items — a proven traffic driver for McDonald’s. McDonald’s unveils 2 new adult Happy Meals, 5 menu items
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors/strategists continue to prefer MCD for defensive, cash-generating exposure versus higher-growth names, supporting buy-side interest. Why this portfolio manager prefers McDonald’s stock over Nvidia
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus analyst rating is “Hold” (mix of buy/hold/sell), indicating no broad upgrade momentum from the sell-side. McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical note: some analysts/market watchers flag MCD as oversold on short-term indicators, which can prompt bargain-hunting but also signals recent selling pressure. 4 Consumer Favorites Look Oversold Right Now: Disney, McDonald’s and More
• Negative Sentiment: Not all publicity is positive — at least one ad tied to the promotion drew fan criticism, which could temper engagement or spark short-term negative PR. KPop Demon Hunters McDonald’s ad isn’t for all the fans

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total transaction of $854,106.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at $1,755,699.50. This represents a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MCD opened at $306.23 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $321.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.49. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $341.75. The firm has a market cap of $217.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.51.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.83 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on MCD shares. Mizuho boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, BTIG Research increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

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.