Arizona State Retirement System Purchases 2,005 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 197,122 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 2,005 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $53,284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,286 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,649 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,017 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $589,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. United Bank grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 8,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,367,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.5% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,938 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,780,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group set a $305.00 price target on McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup upped their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $321.35.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE:MCD traded down $0.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $255.53. The stock had a trading volume of 4,196,825 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,941,729. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $254.28 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $180.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $269.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $288.61.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 572.06% and a net margin of 31.72%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.87 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 60.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,198,930.88. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is reportedly slowing its restaurant expansion to protect returns as construction costs rise and consumers remain price-sensitive. A more disciplined development pace could improve new-restaurant economics and reduce capital risk. Can MCD’s Slower Expansion Pace Help Protect New-Restaurant Returns?
• Positive Sentiment: A Milwaukee franchisee says sales at his seven locations are growing at double-digit rates, attributing the gains to local execution, customer engagement and operational initiatives. The example suggests individual operators can still outperform despite broader U.S. sales softness. McDonald’s franchisee sales are up
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is rethinking its strategy as an unexpected customer group increasingly buys Happy Meals, potentially broadening the product’s appeal beyond children. The report signals a marketing opportunity but provides no immediate financial forecast. McDonald’s CEO Says an Unlikely Group Is Turning to Happy Meals
• Neutral Sentiment: The company plans a first-of-its-kind U.K. location where customers can make their own burgers. The experiential concept could generate publicity and engagement, but its impact on companywide results is likely limited initially. McDonald’s reveals new UK store
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage continues to describe McDonald’s as a defensive stock ahead of inflation data and the Federal Reserve’s rate decision, which may support investor interest during periods of volatility. 5 Defensive Stocks to Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts note that McDonald’s U.S. sales have slowed because of execution issues, even as other major franchised restaurant companies reported stronger results. This is the clearest fundamental pressure on MCD and helps explain its weaker share performance. Why Franchise Models Are Winning the Restaurant Stock Divide
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of customers criticizing a children’s area that lacks toys or playground equipment could reinforce concerns about an uneven in-store experience, though the issue appears localized. McDonald’s also deleted a viral post involving a controversial intern claim, creating a minor reputational and social-media risk. McDonald’s guests criticize kids corner McDonald’s deletes viral post

McDonald’s 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.