Global X Japan Co. Ltd. Grows Holdings in McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in McDonald's by 321.4% in Q4, adding 20,900 shares to hold 27,402 shares valued at about $8.38 million.
• McDonald's beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $3.12 (versus $3.05 est.) and revenue of $7.01 billion, up 9.7% year-over-year, and analysts project roughly 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently—CEO Christopher Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares (~$8.76M)—with insiders selling 71,657 shares (~$23.7M) over 90 days, while institutional investors own about 70.3% of the stock.

Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 321.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 27,402 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after acquiring an additional 20,900 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $8,375,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. WD Rutherford LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald's by 1.0% during the third quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $991,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in McDonald's by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,102 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in McDonald's by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $736,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Symmetry Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald's by 2.0% in the third quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $538,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald's by 0.3% in the third quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $3,352,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:MCD opened at $309.00 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $321.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $311.50. McDonald's Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $341.75. The firm has a market cap of $219.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.86, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.51.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. McDonald's's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

Insider Activity at McDonald's

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total value of $8,764,097.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,638,066. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total value of $862,220.84. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,867,393.22. This represents a 23.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price target on McDonald's in a report on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on McDonald's from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $339.69.

McDonald's News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: High-visibility KPop “Demon Hunters” collaboration could drive a major sales bump — outlets estimate a large near-term revenue lift (MarketWatch suggests up to ~$100M in days if demand is strong). How ‘KPop Demon Hunters' meals could make McDonald's $100M in just a few days
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s rolled out two adult Happy Meals and several new menu items tied to the collab — a classic brand move to drive traffic, social buzz and incremental transactions across stores. McDonald's unveils 2 new adult Happy Meals, 5 menu items
• Positive Sentiment: Wide consumer and local-market coverage (NYC/Chicago rollouts, color-saturated sauces and collectible tie-ins) supports the view of a near-term traffic and social-media lift. KPop Demon Hunters ‘Battle Of The Fans’ Is Heading To McDonald’s
• Positive Sentiment: Some portfolio managers are publicly favoring MCD for its defensive, cash-generative profile vs. higher-volatility tech names — a vote of confidence for longer-term investors. Why this portfolio manager prefers McDonald's stock over Nvidia
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus sits at “Hold” (coverage mix: buys, holds, a few sells) — keeps upside tied to execution rather than a broad re-rating. McDonald’s Corporation NYSE: MCD Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational/efficiency updates (Esker automation for French advertising finance) are incremental positives for margin/SG&A execution but unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. McDonald's Force Builds a Winning Financial Strategy with Esker
• Negative Sentiment: Some fan backlash to the ad/creative execution suggests the campaign may not land uniformly across core fandoms — that could cap the promotion’s upside in certain markets or prompt short-term reputational noise. KPop Demon Hunters McDonald's ad isn't for all the fans

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.

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