McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Acquired by Howe & Rusling Inc.

Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 15.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 47,775 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 6,339 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises approximately 1.0% of Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $14,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,750 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $535,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Encompass More Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Encompass More Asset Management now owns 2,120 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Richmond Investment Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Richmond Investment Services LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 11,307 shares of company stock valued at $3,262,622 over the last 90 days. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $355.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $305.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of McDonald’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $336.26.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is bringing back its fried apple pie for America’s 250th birthday, a nostalgic limited-time item that could help drive traffic and sales while generating a lot of consumer buzz. AP News – McDonald’s is serving fried apple pie again for America’s 250th birthday
• Positive Sentiment: The company is also being highlighted for bringing back other fan-favorite menu items after decades away, reinforcing the view that McDonald’s is using nostalgia-based offerings to support customer engagement. Article – McDonald’s Is Bringing Back a Highly Requested Menu Item for the First Time in Over 30 Years
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is testing expanded beverage options, including custom sodas, refreshers and Red Bull-based drinks, which could open a new source of incremental sales and improve ticket size. Yahoo Finance – McDonald’s 70-Year Coke Alliance Enters New Beverage Test
• Neutral Sentiment: Several stories focus on McDonald’s brand strength, including celebrity mentions and “coolest locations” lists, which are good for visibility but likely have limited direct impact on earnings. Article – Tina Fey Loves This McDonald’s Menu Item So Much, She Walked Down the Highway in Italy To Order It
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is also making operational changes, including rebuilding a classic Gahanna location with a modern look and altering drive-thru features, but these are more incremental than transformative. AOL – McDonald’s to demolish classic Gahanna location and rebuild it with modern look
• Negative Sentiment: One article about a possible $1 drive-thru fee and another criticizing the chain’s ice cream machine reliability could add to customer frustration and pressure sentiment, even if the financial impact is unclear. Article – Is McDonald’s adding a $1 fee to drive-thru orders? Customers want answers
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage that McCrispy Strips are being revamped after customer criticism suggests McDonald’s is responding to product complaints, which may weigh slightly on sentiment around menu execution. AOL – McDonald’s to Revamp McCrispy Strips After Customer Criticism

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $287.99 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $288.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $306.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $204.62 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $271.85 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share 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 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 for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.34%.

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.