Weaver Capital Management LLC Sells 3,420 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Weaver Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 33.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,830 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 3,420 shares during the quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,577,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. WealthPLAN Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 28.7% in the 3rd quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 3,078 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $711,000 after buying an additional 687 shares during the period. RDA Financial Network lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 3.6% during the third quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 6,028 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,392,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the period. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 54.5% during the third quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $510,000 after acquiring an additional 779 shares during the period. TT Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at $1,196,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Trust Co boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 236.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Trust Co now owns 9,795 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,262,000 after acquiring an additional 6,883 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on MCD shares. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $273.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. HC Wainwright set a $250.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $308.00 to $297.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $295.94.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Consumer-stock rotation provided support. Investors have been shifting money out of technology stocks and into beaten-down consumer names, giving McDonald’s and other restaurant stocks a lift. These Consumer Stocks Are Getting a Lift as Investors Rotate Out of Tech
• Positive Sentiment: Options trading indicates near-term bullish positioning. Traders purchased 42,937 MCD call options, about 24% above typical daily call volume. This can signal expectations for a rebound, although it does not guarantee sustained buying.
• Positive Sentiment: Limited-time promotions may help traffic. McDonald’s is bringing back a popular meal and its Halloween Boo Buckets, featuring a Disney-villain theme. These promotions could support customer engagement and sales during the quarter. McDonald’s is bringing back an iconic meal for a limited time
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend status remains a long-term attraction. McDonald’s has become a Dividend King, supported by its franchised business model, royalty income and pricing power. Nevertheless, future dividend growth depends on earnings recovery. McDonald’s Dividend King Status Is Impressive, but Valuation Still Matters

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $242.67 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $229.20 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $252.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $272.30. The stock has a market cap of $171.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.44.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 572.06% and a net margin of 31.72%. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.19 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $1.93 per share. This represents a $7.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.44%.

About McDonald’s

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.