Ellsworth Advisors LLC Takes Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Ellsworth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 4,044 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,235,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,286 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,692,000 after purchasing an additional 1,649 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $563,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 25.9% in the first quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 777 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its stake in McDonald’s by 2,600.0% during the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 243 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,169,430. This trade represents a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 13,134 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.42, for a total transaction of $3,945,716.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,383,734.52. The trade was a 74.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090 in the last 90 days. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $310.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $221.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $276.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The company’s fifty day moving average is $308.02 and its 200 day moving average is $304.06.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights McDonald’s restaurant margin dollars topping $4B in Q3 2025, arguing the company’s scale and value strategy can still expand margins despite inflation and a pressured consumer — a direct bullish signal for profit leverage. Does McDonald’s $4B Margin Milestone Signal Model Durability?
• Positive Sentiment: Reporting says McDonald’s plans over 8,000 new locations and major technology upgrades — if executed, that accelerates franchised development fees, systemwide sales growth and long-term comp growth. McDonald’s 2026 expansion plans: Over 8,000 new locations and major technology upgrades coming
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage of planned drive-thru and in-restaurant changes for 2026 suggests operational improvements (speed, order accuracy, upsell) that can lift throughput and margins at scale. 4 changes coming to McDonald’s drive-thrus in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s Disney Happy Meal promotion and holiday menu/availability stories are routine marketing/seasonal items that support short-term traffic but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. How long will Disney Happy Meal be available at McDonald’s?
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets covered McDonald’s being open on Christmas and customer-facing changes for 2026 — background consumer-facing news that maintains brand visibility but has limited near-term EPS impact. 10 changes coming to McDonald’s in 2026 that customers need to know
• Neutral Sentiment: A playful Dogecoin tweet calling out businesses that don’t accept DOGE is social-media noise rather than a catalyst for material payment adoption or revenue change. Dogecoin Account Wants You To Tag ‘Naughty’ Businesses That Won’t Take The Good Boy
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that a Minneapolis location locked doors to keep out individuals deemed a safety risk raise operational and reputational concerns in specific markets; localized safety issues can pressure sales and require extra store-level costs. McDonald’s locks doors to keep out individuals who present a risk in crime-ridden Minneapolis area
• Negative Sentiment: Lingering macro/near-term pressure: McDonald’s last quarterly report (Nov 5) showed a slight EPS and revenue miss, which remains a selling point for investors awaiting clearer margin/growth guidance.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Citigroup cut their target price 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. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $324.57.

About McDonald’s

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.