Joseph Erlinger Sells 2,626 Shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) insider Joseph Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.58, for a total value of $805,079.08. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at $1,654,918.84. The trade was a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

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 company has a fifty day moving average of $308.41 and a 200-day moving average of $305.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $219.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.53.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.48%.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. WD Rutherford LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $991,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% during the third quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.0% during the third quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 0.3% in the third quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,352,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. BTIG Research restated a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $328.88.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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 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.