GSA Capital Partners LLP Increases Stock Position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

Key Points

• GSA Capital Partners LLP increased their stake in McDonald's by 56.2%, now owning 3,774 shares worth approximately $1.18 million.
• McDonald's reported quarterly earnings of $2.67 per share, matching analyst expectations but showing a 3.5% decline in revenue compared to the same period last year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.77 per share, yielding 2.33% annually, with the payment date set for September 16.

GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its stake in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 56.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,774 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP's holdings in McDonald's were worth $1,179,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,867,193 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $2,570,511,000 after purchasing an additional 895,896 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 504,085 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 4,595,245 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,332,116,000 after buying an additional 226,752 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in McDonald's by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,501,727 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,304,965,000 after buying an additional 74,250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $2.81 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $302.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,324,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,321,008. McDonald's Corporation has a one year low of $265.33 and a one year high of $326.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $299.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $303.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $216.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.67. The company had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.17 billion. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.75% and a negative return on equity of 195.27%. McDonald's's revenue for the quarter was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.70 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid 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 (DPR) is 62.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $300,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 8,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,657,400. This trade represents a 10.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.49, for a total transaction of $281,221.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,780,165.67. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,817 shares of company stock valued at $1,147,992. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the subject of several analyst reports. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on McDonald's from $340.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 30th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $346.00 to $315.00 in a report on Friday, June 6th. Northcoast Research cut shares of McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays upped their target price on McDonald's from $347.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $323.39.

About McDonald's

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.