McDonald's Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management reduced its McDonald’s stake by 10.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 27,661 shares and leaving it with 231,112 shares valued at about $70.6 million.
• McDonald’s recent operating updates were mixed: the company beat Q1 earnings and revenue estimates, and value promotions helped lift sales, but management warned that higher gas prices and softer consumer spending could pressure demand.
• Sentiment from analysts and investors remains split, with some seeing the stock’s pullback as a buying opportunity while others turned more cautious, including TD Cowen cutting its price target to $300.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd cut its stake in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 231,112 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 27,661 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings in McDonald's were worth $70,635,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald's by 162.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its position in shares of McDonald's by 95.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald's by 1,616.7% during the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 103 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Painted Porch Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald's by 735.7% during the third quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some market commentary says the recent drop in McDonald’s (MCD) shares may be overdone, pointing to the company’s value as a dividend growth stock and suggesting long-term investors could use weakness to accumulate shares. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s value-focused promotions helped lift sales, and prior reporting noted 3.8% higher Q1 comparable-store sales, showing that budget-friendly offerings are still resonating with customers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Investors also reacted to bullish takes that McDonald’s stock could be attractive after its slide, with some writers citing renewed interest in the company’s value proposition and product momentum. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is modernizing some operations, including phasing out self-serve soda machines, which is a longer-term efficiency and customer-experience change with limited immediate earnings impact. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several stories focused on McDonald’s menu hacks, breakfast value, and brand nostalgia, which support consumer engagement but are unlikely to materially move the stock on their own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: More important for traders, McDonald’s management warned that higher gas prices and a potential pullback in consumer spending could hurt demand, fueling concerns that traffic may soften. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen cut its price target on McDonald’s (MCD) to $300, reflecting a more cautious view on the stock after the recent weakness. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: McDonald’s is also facing backlash over its McValue menu, with some consumers comparing it unfavorably to older, cheaper pricing, highlighting the pressure the company faces to defend its affordability image. Article Title

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 71,990 shares of company stock worth $23,824,113 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on MCD. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of McDonald's from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus raised shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of McDonald's from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $330.00 to $305.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $335.14.

McDonald's Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $275.62 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.43. McDonald's Corporation has a 1-year low of $274.83 and a 1-year high of $341.75. The company's fifty day moving average is $311.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.40.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The firm's revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald's Corporation will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.