Bridges Investment Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Bridges Investment Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,700 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 5,068 shares during the quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $27,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 84.4% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 35,510 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,853,000 after purchasing an additional 16,252 shares during the period. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 21,487 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $6,567,000 after buying an additional 3,866 shares during the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,493,000. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,029,572 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $312,877,000 after buying an additional 51,039 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,557,348 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $475,972,000 after buying an additional 24,333 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s unveiled its new “McDonald’s NEXT” strategy, centered on automation, improved restaurant design, better-tasting food, stronger hospitality, and more effective social media marketing. Investors may view this as a clear roadmap to reignite traffic and long-term sales growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted that McDonald’s is leaning on value meals, chicken innovation, and restaurant upgrades to gain market share in a cautious consumer environment, which could help sustain demand even if spending stays weak. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer also named McDonald’s as a defensive stock to own outside the AI trade, suggesting it could benefit if investors rotate into steadier, out-of-favor sectors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s strategy update also emphasizes making stores easier to run and improving efficiency, which could support margins over time but likely won’t show immediate results. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: An EVP recently sold shares, which can add some caution, but the transaction appears routine and is not by itself a strong fundamental warning. Article Title

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $276.61 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.80, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $294.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.42. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $271.98 and a 52 week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be given a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of McDonald’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $306.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $334.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total value of $93,276.63. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,166,370.74. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,681 shares of company stock worth $2,631,594. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.