McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) Shares Acquired by E Fund Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• E Fund Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in McDonald's Corporation by 18.6% during the first quarter, bringing their total holdings to 9,238 shares valued at approximately $2.89 million.
• McDonald's reported $3.19 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $3.15, with a quarterly revenue of $6.84 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.77 per share, with an ex-dividend date of September 2nd, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.3%.

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 18.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,238 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 1,451 shares during the quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $2,886,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in McDonald's by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 70,409,095 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $21,993,689,000 after acquiring an additional 239,753 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in McDonald's by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,652,445 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $3,088,037,000 after acquiring an additional 531,070 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in McDonald's by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,867,193 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $2,570,511,000 after acquiring an additional 895,896 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald's by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,019,019 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,454,963,000 after acquiring an additional 504,085 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in McDonald's by 19.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,982,825 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,556,485,000 after purchasing an additional 815,768 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Trading Up 1.2%

McDonald's stock traded up $3.57 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $308.64. The stock had a trading volume of 4,698,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,468,737. The stock has a market cap of $220.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald's Corporation has a 12 month low of $271.85 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $298.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.85.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The fast-food giant reported $3.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.68 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 225.52% and a net margin of 32.21%. McDonald's's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.97 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is 60.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised McDonald's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $345.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on McDonald's from $324.00 to $326.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Melius initiated coverage on McDonald's in a research report on Monday, July 14th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on McDonald's from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Argus lowered McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $326.87.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,487 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $770,970.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,754 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,713,740. This represents a 22.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $299.49, for a total value of $281,221.11. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,780,165.67. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,280 shares of company stock valued at $2,215,178. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald's Profile

McDonald's Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.