McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC

Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC decreased its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,471 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 6,336 shares during the quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $22,631,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 142.9% in the second quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, GFG Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Stores Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s raised its quarterly dividend to $1.86 (annualized $7.44), signaling continued free‑cash‑flow strength and supporting the stock’s income appeal. (Dividend disclosure appeared in recent MarketBeat reporting.)
• Positive Sentiment: Holiday marketing is driving strong attention — the Grinch Meal promotion generated broad press and consumer buzz, which can boost seasonal traffic and brand engagement. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s revived its digital MONOPOLY promotion to push app downloads, reinforce value messaging and support U.S. traffic for Q4 — a digital-first campaign that can improve repeat visits and AUVs. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and institutional activity remains mixed: several analysts reaffirm or tweak targets around the low‑to‑mid $300s, and institutional holdings changed modestly — supports a “hold” consensus but not a clear re‑rating catalyst. (Coverage summarized in recent market reports.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Political/insider transaction news: a report noted Representative Julie Johnson sold shares of McDonald’s; such public selling can draw short‑term attention but doesn’t change fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Desiree Ralls‑Morrison sold 2,486 shares (~$795k at $320) and reduced her holdings ~28% — insider selling can be perceived negatively by investors, especially when clustered with other sales. SEC filing: Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational hit: McDonald’s pulled an AI Christmas ad after backlash in some markets, which generated negative headlines and potential short‑term brand distraction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader industry pressure: analysts note U.S. restaurants face softer demand, higher value sensitivity and cost pressures — a tougher consumer backdrop could cap same‑store sales and margin upside. Read More.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $315.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $224.93 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $307.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $303.93. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $276.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 63.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total value of $2,006,218.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,407,133. This represents a 58.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, October 20th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $324.57.

McDonald’s 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.