Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Lowers Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lessened its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 51.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,988 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 57,550 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $16,965,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,890,438,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its position in 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 buying an additional 2,587,986 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its position in McDonald’s by 9,867.5% in 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 buying an additional 2,515,515 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP increased its stake 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 valued at $913,157,000 after buying an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in McDonald’s by 49.9% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,104,337 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $948,779,000 after buying an additional 1,033,041 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target on McDonald’s to $390 from $385 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling confidence that the stock has meaningful upside from current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage and commentary continue to highlight McDonald’s value offerings, loyalty efforts, localized marketing, and menu innovation as ways the company can support customer traffic and defend sales trends.
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is expected to report second-quarter earnings next month, with consensus calling for modest single-digit profit growth, keeping investor focus on whether traffic and margins improve.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent product news, including the new Caesar sauce and other menu rollouts, is generating consumer interest, but the items appear more promotional than clearly material to near-term earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Articles questioning why McDonald’s stock is at nearly two-year lows and noting a 10.1% decline over the past six months versus a rising S&P 500 suggest investors are worried about relative underperformance and slowing momentum.
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary describing a “McProblem” that is not getting better points to continuing concerns about business execution, customer traffic, or overall sentiment toward the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: One recent piece also urged investors to stay skeptical, indicating that while the stock may look attractive to some value investors, there are still fundamental questions weighing on shares.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $267.74 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $190.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.07, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $264.09 and a one year high of $341.75. The company’s fifty day moving average is $277.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $300.28.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $375.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $336.32.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the firm’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 value of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,681 shares of company stock valued at $2,456,440. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.