McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank has reduced its stake in McDonald's Corporation by 0.3%, now owning approximately 2,021,200 shares valued at around $631.36 million.
• McDonald's reported $3.19 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, with revenues reaching $6.84 billion, up 5.4% from the previous year.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.77, with an annualized dividend yield of 2.3% and a payout ratio of 60.67%.

Swiss National Bank trimmed its stake in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 0.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,021,200 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 5,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.28% of McDonald's worth $631,362,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in McDonald's during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Copia Wealth Management bought a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McDonald's

In related 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 value of $770,970.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,754 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,713,740. This represents a 22.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.49, for a total transaction of $281,221.11. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,780,165.67. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 7,280 shares of company stock worth $2,215,178. Insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a "sell" rating and issued a $260.00 price objective (down from $319.00) on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Barclays raised their price objective on McDonald's from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on McDonald's from $324.00 to $326.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $350.00 price objective (up previously from $345.00) on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised McDonald's from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $345.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $326.87.

McDonald's Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:MCD traded down $2.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $305.62. 2,621,959 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,681,905. McDonald's Corporation has a 52-week low of $265.33 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $298.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $304.49. The company has a market cap of $218.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The fast-food giant reported $3.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.04. The business 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%. The business's revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.97 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.67%.

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.