Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Grows Stock Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. grew its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,978 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,782 shares during the quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $8,857,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 84.1% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 141,775 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $41,422,000 after purchasing an additional 64,757 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 236.7% in the 3rd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,976,000 after purchasing an additional 4,571 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.7% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $43,606,000 after buying an additional 3,774 shares in the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $1,120,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 317.2% in the third quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,691,000 after buying an additional 14,506 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total transaction of $862,220.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,867,393.22. This represents a 23.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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 that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $7,638,066. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.9%

MCD opened at $306.23 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $321.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $311.46. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $283.47 and a 52-week high of $341.75. The company has a market cap of $217.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.63, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.51.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.26%.

Key Stories 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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price objective 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. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Oppenheimer upgraded McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.