GWN Securities Inc. Reduces Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

GWN Securities Inc. trimmed its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 52.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,708 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 12,734 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up 0.8% of GWN Securities Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. GWN Securities Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 29,382.3% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,676,339,000 after purchasing an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,412,069,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its stake in McDonald’s by 171.7% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 96.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 4,032,676 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,188,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,751 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst take: a recent Motley Fool piece argues MCD lagged 2025’s rally but could be close to a rare corporate milestone that would justify upside, making shares look attractive to some investors. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s Canada locked $5 meal pricing for a full year — a rare, consumer-friendly move that should support traffic and PR in a key market, though it may pressure short-term margins. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is expanding marketing promotions (Pokémon Happy Meal return) and new menu stunts (its biggest burger), both likely to drive traffic and incremental sales in the near term. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Company-level initiatives: reports highlight a push to use AI across services and operations — a potential source of longer-term cost savings and efficiency gains that investors typically reward. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: International resilience noted by analysts: Zacks highlights that disciplined value, local marketing and scale are supporting comparable sales outside the U.S., helping offset broader QSR pressure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Franchise partner news: Armada named new leaders for its McDonald’s business unit — organizational change that could affect go-to-market execution but is not a direct corporate earnings driver. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Product chatter: social and local media note new snack-wrap competition and consumer buzz—helpful for brand engagement but limited direct impact on near-term financials. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview: previews suggest McDonald’s upcoming quarterly report is expected to show single-digit bottom-line growth — a modest outlook that leaves room for beats or misses to move the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: President of International Oper. Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares (~$805k) and trimmed his position by ~33%, a disclosure that some investors view as a negative signal about near-term insider conviction. SEC Filing

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MCD. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. KeyCorp lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $372.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $328.88.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock opened at $309.43 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $220.36 billion, a PE ratio of 26.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average of $308.35 and a 200-day moving average of $305.28. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $276.53 and a one year high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). The firm 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.23 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 63.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $8,169,430. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 45,142 shares of company stock valued at $13,841,169 in the last three months. 0.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.