Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC Cuts Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC lowered its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 30.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 50,952 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 21,938 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 1.0% of Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $15,484,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Banque Transatlantique SA raised its stake in McDonald’s by 58.0% in the 1st quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 248,826 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $71,829,000 after purchasing an additional 91,313 shares during the last quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 35.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 84.1% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 141,775 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $41,422,000 after buying an additional 64,757 shares during the last quarter. Welch Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% during the second quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 206,004 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $60,188,000 after buying an additional 2,180 shares during the period. Finally, Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its position in McDonald’s by 236.7% during the third quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,976,000 after acquiring an additional 4,571 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 13,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.42, for a total value of $3,945,716.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,383,734.52. This represents a 74.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total transaction of $977,094.90. Following the sale, the insider owned 6,088 shares in the company, valued at $1,861,832.16. This represents a 34.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho upgraded McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Barclays lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $362.00 to $358.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $324.57.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $310.61 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $276.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $308.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.06.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly 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). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The business had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.23 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase 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.

McDonald’s Company 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.