CX Institutional Acquires 21,838 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

CX Institutional increased its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 172.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,506 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,838 shares during the period. CX Institutional’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $10,486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 84.1% during the 2nd 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 period. Welch Group LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% in the second 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. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 236.7% in the 3rd 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. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $43,606,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares during the period. Finally, Choreo LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 954 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,169,430. This trade 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 is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,005,760. This trade 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 quarter. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.9%

MCD opened at $302.63 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $215.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.82, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $276.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $307.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.63.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on MCD. 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. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $362.00 to $358.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 17th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $325.83.

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.