Maverick Capital Ltd. Purchases 281,647 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Maverick Capital Ltd. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 2,261.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 294,100 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 281,647 shares during the period. Maverick Capital Ltd.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $91,403,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,890,438,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 30,979.0% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,596,340 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $806,917,000 after purchasing an additional 2,587,986 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 9,867.5% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,541,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $776,608,000 after purchasing an additional 2,515,515 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP raised its position in McDonald’s by 171.7% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 49.9% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,104,337 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $948,779,000 after purchasing an additional 1,033,041 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS maintained a Buy rating on McDonald’s while lowering its price target from $365 to $340. The revised target still implies approximately 25.6% upside from the reference price, signaling that the analyst sees meaningful long-term value despite near-term concerns. Benzinga report
• Positive Sentiment: A recent investment analysis characterized McDonald’s as attractively priced, potentially supporting investor interest in the stock following its decline from the 52-week high. Fast Food At Bargain Prices: McDonald’s
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock’s advance occurred alongside a broader market upswing, suggesting that part of the move reflected overall market momentum rather than a major new company announcement. McDonald’s Beats Stock Market Upswing
• Negative Sentiment: UBS expects McDonald’s second-quarter same-store sales to be “sluggish,” citing weaker consumer spending. Soft comparable sales could pressure near-term revenue growth and raise concerns about value-conscious customers. UBS expects sluggish Q2 same-store sales
• Negative Sentiment: UBS’s price-target reduction reflects a more cautious earnings outlook, even though the firm retained its Buy rating.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent consumer complaints alleging “shrinkflation” involving smaller drink portions could create reputational and value-perception risks, although the reports appear anecdotal rather than a confirmed financial impact. McDonald’s shrinkflation complaints

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $333.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 8,348 shares of company stock worth $2,355,634 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $270.71 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $260.96 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75. The firm has a market cap of $192.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $275.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $298.64.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 61.34%.

McDonald’s Company 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.