J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Purchases 9,267 Shares of McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its McDonald’s stake by 4.5% in the first quarter, adding 9,267 shares to reach 216,127 shares valued at about $67.2 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with the article noting that hedge funds and other investors have been actively adjusting positions and now own 70.29% of McDonald’s stock.
• Analyst and market sentiment is mixed: McDonald’s recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, but some reports warn that U.S. comparable sales may be weakening and the stock has seen bigger recent declines than the broader market.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its holdings in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 216,127 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 9,267 shares during the quarter. McDonald's makes up approximately 1.1% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in McDonald's were worth $67,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Peterson Wealth Services grew its holdings in McDonald's by 3,294.5% during the 4th quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 11,779 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $3,600,000 after buying an additional 11,432 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 84.4% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 35,510 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $10,853,000 after buying an additional 16,252 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Sarl lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 64,256 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $19,639,000 after buying an additional 6,079 shares in the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,493,000. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its position in shares of McDonald's by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 21,487 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 3,866 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald's is leaning into beverages with a new custom drink push, including a Dirty Dr. Pepper-style offering, which could help drive traffic and lift average ticket sizes as chains compete for drink sales. McDonald’s Dirty Dr. Pepper Leads Its New Custom Drink Push
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald's is also using promotions and limited-time offers, including free fries for National French Fry Day and a BT21 Happy Meal rollout, to support customer engagement and near-term sales momentum. Free fries article BT21 Happy Meals article
• Positive Sentiment: Some recent commentary suggests McDonald's remains a defensible consumer name, with analysts and market writers highlighting its cash generation, brand strength, and potential to benefit from event-driven marketing around the FIFA World Cup. FIFA World Cup growth strategy article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle pieces about ordering hacks, retro campaigns, and menu combinations are generating buzz, but these appear more like brand-interest stories than material stock drivers. Filet-O-Fish and Snack Wrap article Ordering hack article Vinyl record campaign article
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald's has also been the subject of mixed third-party coverage comparing it with other consumer names and discussing macro risks, but these articles do not signal a clear company-specific catalyst on their own. McDonald's or Pfizer article Index exit and oil shock article
• Negative Sentiment: A Deutsche Bank note says McDonald's U.S. comparable sales likely hit a new low in the second quarter, reinforcing worries that traffic and same-store sales may be weakening. US sales likely hit new low article
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market pieces also note that McDonald's has been registering bigger daily declines than the broader market, suggesting investors remain cautious heading into upcoming sales and earnings-related updates. Registers a bigger fall than the market article

Insider Activity at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, insider Joseph M. 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 8,681 shares of company stock worth $2,456,440 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore set a $350.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a report on Friday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Cfra raised shares of McDonald's to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on McDonald's from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $334.96.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.1%

MCD opened at $274.93 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.67, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $278.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $301.75. McDonald's Corporation has a 12-month low of $264.53 and a 12-month high of $341.75.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.47 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.McDonald's's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.91 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.34%.

About McDonald's

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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