Conning Inc. Sells 4,205 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Conning Inc. reduced its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 3.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 107,858 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,205 shares during the quarter. Conning Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $32,777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,286 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,649 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Bank increased its stake in McDonald’s by 3.3% in the second quarter. Berkshire Bank now owns 2,686 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $785,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Balefire LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at about $347,000. Finally, Hardin Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $207,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the firm’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 owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total value of $2,006,218.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,133. This represents a 58.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 45,142 shares of company stock valued at $13,841,169. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Canada price-lock: McDonald’s Canada announced a one‑year $5 meal price lock intended to drive traffic and goodwill in a key market (may pressure short‑term margin but supports comp sales). McDonald’s Canada price lock
• Positive Sentiment: Promotions & menu tailwinds: Return of high‑profile promotions (Pokémon Happy Meal), a large new burger and a permanent menu item after decades are likely to boost traffic and drive incremental sales in the near term. Pokémon Happy Meal
• Positive Sentiment: Operational upgrades: Reports detail major changes to drive‑thru lanes and a company push to use AI across services/operations — potential medium‑term cost savings and capacity gains that investors tend to reward. Drive-thru changes
• Positive Sentiment: Sales momentum noted: Coverage highlights a recent 2.4% sales jump after reviving an “old‑school” strategy, supporting the thesis that merchandising and local tactics can lift comps. Sales jump article
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview: Analysts expect single‑digit bottom‑line growth in the upcoming quarter — a modest outlook that leaves room for either a market boost on a beat or further weakness on a miss. Earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Franchise/industry items: New leadership at Armada’s McDonald’s unit and country‑specific menu features (France/Italy/Portugal) matter for execution but are not immediate corporate results drivers. Armada appointments
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Joseph M. Erlinger (President, International Oper.) sold 2,626 shares (~$805k) and trimmed his stake ~33% — a disclosure that can weaken sentiment if interpreted as reduced insider conviction. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk: McRib-related class‑action fraud suit alleges product misrepresentation — potential reputational and legal costs if it escalates. McRib lawsuit

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE:MCD opened at $307.82 on Thursday. McDonald’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $276.53 and a twelve month high of $326.32. The stock has a market cap of $219.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $308.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $305.30.

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

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. 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%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 63.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on MCD. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays increased their target price on McDonald’s from $358.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Mizuho raised McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Thirteen investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $328.88.

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.