258,769 Shares in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Purchased by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 258,769 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $69,948,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 27,036.7% during the 2nd 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. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,890,438,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,359,276,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 30,979.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,596,340 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $806,917,000 after acquiring an additional 2,587,986 shares during the period. Finally, J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 9,867.5% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,541,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $776,608,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515,515 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded McDonald’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on McDonald’s from $322.00 to $319.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $295.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $321.35.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valuation may attract contrarian buyers: McDonald’s is trading at roughly 19.15 times earnings, below the restaurant industry’s average multiple. Analysts point to global expansion, digital initiatives and new product efforts as possible catalysts for a recovery. McDonald’s Trades at 19.15X P/E: Is This a Discounted Opportunity?
• Positive Sentiment: Promotional activity could support traffic: McDonald’s is bringing back popular menu items, launching a Texas-themed meal with collectible cups and promoting limited-time products. These campaigns may encourage visits and improve near-term sales, though their financial impact is unproven. McDonald’s launches exclusive state-themed meal
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand visibility remains high: Coverage of McDonald’s breakfast offerings, Grimace appearances, collectible merchandise and Warren Buffett’s long-standing affinity for the brand reinforces consumer awareness but is unlikely to materially change earnings expectations. The best McDonald’s breakfast sandwich isn’t on the menu
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. consumer weakness is the main concern: Reports describe consumer-focused stocks, including McDonald’s, as signaling softer spending in middle America. Articles also highlight customers shifting to competing fast-food chains, increasing pressure on traffic and comparable sales. Wall Street worried about consumer stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Value positioning remains problematic: Coverage says McDonald’s $3 value offering has not fully delivered for customers or the company, raising concerns about affordability, franchisee economics and the effectiveness of discounting. Why you can’t find McDonald’s $3 value menu

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $255.69 on Monday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $255.49 and a 1 year high of $341.75. The firm has a market cap of $180.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $269.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $289.12.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 572.06%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.19 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.44%.

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.