First Nebraska Trust Co Takes Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

First Nebraska Trust Co purchased a new position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,093 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,583,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,351,127 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $22,112,675,000 after buying an additional 703,458 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,983,997 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $10,997,789,000 after acquiring an additional 959,140 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,038,519 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,195,965,000 after purchasing an additional 76,090 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,474,749 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,895,768,000 after purchasing an additional 277,617 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,890,438,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,348 shares of company stock worth $2,355,634. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity suggests some traders are positioning for upside. Investors purchased 32,245 calls, approximately 45% above the average volume of 22,241 calls.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical analyst Jay Woods said McDonald’s chart is beginning to form a potential buy signal, which could attract bargain hunters after the stock’s recent correction. CNBC article
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s continues to appeal to income-focused investors after declaring a quarterly dividend of $1.86 per share. Analysts also maintain a consensus “moderate buy” recommendation. Dividend strength and softer sales expectations Consensus recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on value meals, menu innovation, digital promotions, same-store sales, margins and management’s outlook when McDonald’s reports second-quarter results. Q2 earnings factors
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho lowered its price target from $300 to $290 and assigned a “neutral” rating, signaling limited conviction despite implied upside from current levels.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock has remained below its 200-week moving average for the longest stretch since 2003, highlighting persistent technical weakness. Barchart technical analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect softer sales and weaker earnings, particularly as lower-income consumers remain pressured. That caution could limit gains before the earnings release. McDonald’s stock ahead of August 4 earnings

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE MCD opened at $270.83 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $260.96 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The stock has a market cap of $192.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.33, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s 50 day moving average is $274.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $297.69.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Evercore set a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.92.

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.