Birinyi Associates Inc. Has $1.87 Million Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Birinyi Associates Inc. lessened its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 58.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,006 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 8,414 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises approximately 0.5% of Birinyi Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Birinyi Associates Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,867,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at $2,890,438,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its position in McDonald’s by 30,979.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,596,340 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $806,917,000 after purchasing an additional 2,587,986 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its position in McDonald’s by 9,867.5% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,541,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $776,608,000 after purchasing an additional 2,515,515 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 171.7% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 49.9% during the 4th 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 and hedge funds.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is rolling out BTS-inspired BT21 Happy Meal toys, a promotion that could boost customer traffic and strengthen brand engagement, especially with younger consumers. McDonald’s teams up with BTS again for BT21 Happy Meal: See the toys
• Positive Sentiment: One article argues McDonald’s stock trades at a discount to the restaurant industry, suggesting potential upside if value offerings, beverage initiatives, and global expansion help offset traffic and margin concerns. McDonald’s Stock Lags Industry, Trades at a Discount: Time to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle pieces revisit classic McDonald’s products like the McRib and discontinued burgers, which adds brand nostalgia but is unlikely to materially affect the stock on its own. Why McDonald’s Invented The McRib In The First Place
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports about menu or ordering changes, including the removal of Mini McFlurries from delivery and a new ordering adjustment, are operational updates but appear too small to move the stock meaningfully by themselves. McDonald’s confirms major delivery menu shake-up — with all Mini McFlurries axed
• Neutral Sentiment: Other articles discuss brand trivia and marketing topics, such as the company’s cookies, premade burger system, and a failed donuts test, which are informative but not likely to affect shares directly.
• Negative Sentiment: The key bearish takeaway remains that McDonald’s stock has lagged the broader restaurant group, reflecting investor concern about slower traffic growth and margin pressure. McDonald’s Stock Lags Industry, Trades at a Discount: Time to Buy?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley set a $331.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $330.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $338.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total value of $1,493,248.64. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 8,681 shares of company stock worth $2,456,440 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $272.51 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $278.14 and a 200-day moving average of $301.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $193.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.47, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $264.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. The business 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 firm’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.91 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.34%.

About McDonald’s

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.