Central Bank & Trust Co. Purchases 3,368 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Central Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 51.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,892 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,368 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd increased its position in McDonald’s by 2,963.8% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd now owns 6,863 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after buying an additional 6,639 shares in the last quarter. Gerald Baker Financial Group LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Gerald Baker Financial Group LLC now owns 10,228 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,362,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA increased its stake in McDonald’s by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 1,556 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 23.2% in the third quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 5,707 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,318,000 after acquiring an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chapin Davis Inc. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 242.2% in the third quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 8,251 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,905,000 after acquiring an additional 5,840 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s raised its quarterly dividend earlier than expected and appointed a new president for its U.S. business. The moves signal continued confidence in shareholder returns while management addresses softer U.S. traffic and uneven international performance. What Is McDonald’s Signaling With Its Faster Dividend And New US Chief?
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and investment publications view McDonald’s valuation as attractive, citing its high-margin franchise model, strong cash generation and discounted share price. A Seeking Alpha contributor upgraded the stock, while BetterInvesting identified MCD as an “Undervalued Stock.” McDonald’s: Same-Store Sales Are An Overrated Metric
• Neutral Sentiment: The return of the Monopoly promotion, new restaurant experiences and efforts such as the Chicago Marathon pickle-juice giveaway could support brand engagement, although their effect on sales and earnings is uncertain. McDonald’s Monopoly Returns
• Negative Sentiment: McDonald’s faces a proposed federal class-action lawsuit alleging that its AI-assisted pricing tools coordinated menu prices among franchisees, potentially raising antitrust, regulatory and reputational risks. The company denies the allegations, saying the complaint contains inaccuracies and that AI does not set menu prices. McDonald’s Sued Over Alleged AI-Powered Menu Price-Fixing
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. franchisees are reportedly resisting the approximately $8.5 billion “Next” remodeling program, with upgrades potentially costing at least $800,000 per location. The pushback raises execution, franchise-economics and capital-allocation concerns. McDonald’s Franchise Modernization Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that value promotions, including $5 meals and $6 combos, have not restored customer visits suggest persistent affordability and traffic problems. Bernstein cut its price target from $295 to $250 and assigned a “market perform” rating, reinforcing the cautious outlook. McDonald’s Deals Are Not Winning Customers Back

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock traded down $0.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $236.25. The company had a trading volume of 2,731,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,215,959. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $256.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $274.80. The company has a market cap of $167.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.44. McDonald’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $229.20 and a twelve month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 572.06% and a net margin of 31.72%.The business had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.19 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.85 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a $1.93 dividend. This represents a $7.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. HSBC dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $357.00 to $356.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $301.00 to $273.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $295.94.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corporation is a global quick-service restaurant company that operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand. Its restaurants serve a menu that includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, breakfast items, desserts, salads, beverages and coffee. Offerings vary by market, and many locations provide drive-thru service, delivery and digital ordering through the McDonald’s mobile app.

The company operates through a heavily franchised business model, with restaurants owned and operated by independent franchisees, affiliates and the company itself.