AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Has $16.73 Million Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 1,509.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 55,050 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 51,629 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $16,729,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 162.5% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. increased its position 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its price target to $354 and reiterated an “overweight” rating, implying ~6.7% upside from the current price — a clear analyst bullish signal that can support the stock. KeyCorp raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large options flow: traders bought ~80,687 call contracts (a ~433% jump vs. average), indicating short-term bullish positioning by derivatives traders that can amplify upside moves.
• Positive Sentiment: Menu momentum from the “Big Arch” burger rollout and promotions (including $1 Egg McMuffin offers) is getting broad coverage and is being framed as incremental traffic and AUV support — a potential multi-quarter revenue tailwind. Menu momentum coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains around “Hold” on average, signaling limited near-term analyst-driven upside and suggesting investors should expect mixed guidance from the sell side. Brokerage recommendations

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Erste Group Bank raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $338.07.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the firm’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 sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total value of $854,106.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. The trade was a 32.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,517 shares of company stock valued at $23,655,503. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $331.68 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $317.21 and a 200-day moving average of $310.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $235.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.51. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $283.47 and a 52 week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.83 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

McDonald’s 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.