Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Sells 20,874 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lowered its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 66.3% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,587 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 20,874 shares during the quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,351,127 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $22,112,675,000 after purchasing an additional 703,458 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in McDonald’s by 2.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 959,140 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,038,519 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $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 McDonald’s by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,474,749 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,895,768,000 after buying an additional 277,617 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,890,438,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $322.00 to $319.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Barclays cut 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 report on Friday, May 8th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $325.44.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $274.39 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $194.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $274.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $296.35. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $260.96 and a 12-month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 512.80% and a net margin of 31.72%.McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.19 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.88 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. 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 60.44%.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital upgraded McDonald’s (MCD) from “hold” to “strong-buy,” while BTIG reiterated its “buy” rating. These calls suggest some analysts view the recent selloff as excessive and expect a recovery. McDonald’s analyst upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s remains attractive to income-focused investors because of its long record of dividend payments. Its latest quarterly earnings also exceeded consensus expectations, and global markets continue to provide support. McDonald’s dividend history
• Neutral Sentiment: Forecast coverage is mixed. Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $319, while RBC and Robert W. Baird issued pessimistic outlooks; a separate forecast highlighted potential upside from McDonald’s loyalty scale and the faster-than-expected rollout of its beverage platform. Morgan Stanley lowers McDonald’s price target
• Negative Sentiment: The main issue is weak U.S. performance. Management acknowledged an execution problem involving the value menu, digital offers, restaurant workload, and marketing—not a flawed overall strategy. Customers continue to demand better value, raising concerns about traffic and near-term sales growth. McDonald’s Q2 earnings call
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure is increasing, with Burger King reporting stronger U.S. sales momentum as McDonald’s growth falters. Wendy’s weak traffic and withdrawn outlook add to broader investor concern about value-oriented fast-food demand. Burger King gains against McDonald’s
• Negative Sentiment: McDonald’s has pushed back its goal of reaching 50,000 restaurants, suggesting that economic conditions are slowing expansion. The end of its Krispy Kreme doughnut partnership also removes a recent menu-growth initiative. McDonald’s expansion plans

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, 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 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 hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was 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 approximately $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 8,348 shares of company stock valued at $2,355,634 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.