Perpetual Ltd Invests $621,000 in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Perpetual Ltd bought a new position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,043 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $621,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 58.0% in the first quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 248,826 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $71,829,000 after purchasing an additional 91,313 shares during the last quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 35.2% in the first quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $982,000 after buying an additional 819 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 84.1% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 141,775 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $41,422,000 after acquiring an additional 64,757 shares during the last quarter. Welch Group LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 206,004 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $60,188,000 after acquiring an additional 2,180 shares during the period. Finally, Choreo LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 58,515 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $17,096,000 after acquiring an additional 954 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,169,430. This represents a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090 over the last 90 days. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price objective on McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $362.00 to $358.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $324.57.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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 Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $315.85 on Monday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $276.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The company has a market cap of $224.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $307.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $303.81.

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

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

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

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.