Milford Funds Ltd. Acquires New Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Milford Funds Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 49,252 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $15,053,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Peterson Wealth Services lifted its position in McDonald’s by 3,294.5% during the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 11,779 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,600,000 after buying an additional 11,432 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its position in McDonald’s by 84.4% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 35,510 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,853,000 after buying an additional 16,252 shares during the period. Capital International Sarl lifted its position in McDonald’s by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 64,256 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $19,639,000 after buying an additional 6,079 shares during the period. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lifted its position in McDonald’s by 21.9% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $7,493,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the firm’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 sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,307 shares of company stock worth $3,262,622. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighted McDonald’s as a “rare mega-cap” with accelerating fundamentals, citing 3.8% global comparable sales growth, more than $9 billion in loyalty sales over 90 days, and 9.4% year-over-year revenue growth, which supports the bull case for the stock. McDonald’s Will Trade at This Price in 2028
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is testing AI-powered drive-thru ordering, and early results from a million orders appear promising; if rolled out successfully, this could improve efficiency and margins over time. McDonald’s Is Letting AI Take Your Orders Again. A Million Orders Later, the Results Look Promising.
• Positive Sentiment: Promotional activity tied to FIFA World Cup meals, collectible cups, and Squishmallows could help drive customer traffic and add some sales momentum. McDonald’s FIFA World Cup meals with Squishmallows and 9 collectible cups are here
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and investor commentary remains generally supportive, with reports noting McDonald’s continues to attract attention as a defensive, widely followed stock. McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by executive Joseph Erlinger may weigh on sentiment slightly, even though such sales do not necessarily reflect a change in business outlook. Joseph Erlinger Sells 5,252 Shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent coverage has also raised concerns about customer pushback on operational changes and workplace safety issues, which could create headline risk if they persist. Should McDonald’s AI Drive Thru Push and Safety Scrutiny Require Action From McDonald’s (MCD) Investors?

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $284.88 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $202.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $271.85 and a one year high of $341.75. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $289.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $306.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The company’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. Analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Evercore set a $350.00 price objective on McDonald’s in a report on Friday, May 8th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $336.26.

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.