Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. Acquires 8,900 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 74,400 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,900 shares during the quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $22,609,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Nova Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the first quarter worth $26,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 142.9% during the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, GFG Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management growth initiatives: analysts note McDonald’s is leaning on a disciplined unit expansion to support systemwide sales, which helps offset pressure on traffic and underpins long‑term revenue growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Menu changes could boost short‑term traffic: January menu shake‑ups and a promoted “secret” menu may help drive curiosity visits and promotional lift. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company pushes back on allegations: McDonald’s has issued statements saying the lawsuit “distorts the facts,” which may limit immediate reputational damage while the case progresses. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Local/operational items with limited system impact: reports include a city council urged to block 24/7 openings in one area and a franchise location demolished for a downtown development — notable locally but unlikely to move companywide fundamentals. Read More. | Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Class‑action lawsuit over McRib ingredients: multiple outlets report a federal class action alleging the McRib sandwich is misleadingly marketed and lacks “real rib” meat. That creates near‑term legal and PR risk; potential damages and settlement costs are uncertain, but the headline risk can pressure consumer sentiment around the product while the case receives coverage. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent headline sensitivity: the stock has shown short‑term weakness in recent sessions (analyst note: recent day decline amid market uptick), and an earnings miss last quarter makes sentiment more vulnerable to negative newsflow. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $362.00 to $358.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective 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. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 31st. Twelve 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $325.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,169,430. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $302.63 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $276.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $307.58 and a 200 day moving average of $304.63. The company has a market capitalization of $215.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.23 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current 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 paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 63.48%.

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.