McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Acquired by National Pension Service

National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 2.7% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,658,379 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 43,114 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $448,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 27,036.7% during the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 302,891,546 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $81,874,614,000 after acquiring an additional 301,775,375 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,983,997 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,997,789,000 after acquiring an additional 959,140 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,038,519 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,195,965,000 after acquiring an additional 76,090 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position 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 valued at $2,895,768,000 after purchasing an additional 277,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,890,438,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is launching several traffic-driving initiatives, including a one-day $1 cheeseburger promotion, new SpongeBob and One Piece Happy Meal toys, and a first-of-its-kind fall flavor in Canada replacing the company’s traditional pumpkin-spice offering. These campaigns could support customer visits and seasonal sales, although their financial impact is likely limited. McDonald’s Is Offering $1 Cheeseburgers
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view McDonald’s as a relatively defensive consumer stock amid uncertainty around inflation and Federal Reserve policy. Its franchise-heavy model, global scale and dividend profile may provide support if market volatility increases. Defensive Stocks to Watch
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is slowing its restaurant expansion pace to protect returns as development costs rise and consumers remain price-sensitive. The strategy may improve the economics of new locations, but it also implies a more measured growth outlook. McDonald’s Slower Expansion Pace
• Negative Sentiment: McDonald’s reportedly faces potentially significant fines related to the use of disposable cups. If confirmed, the penalties could increase costs and add to environmental-compliance risk. McDonald’s Faces Millions in Fines
• Negative Sentiment: Some consumer coverage criticizes new menu items and reduced children’s amenities, potentially highlighting affordability, value and customer-experience concerns. These stories are primarily reputational and are unlikely to materially affect near-term financial results on their own.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird upgraded McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Argus cut their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $322.00 to $319.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $321.35.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $253.59 on Thursday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $253.35 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $268.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $287.58.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 572.06% and a net margin of 31.72%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.19 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 60.44%.

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.