Clear Trail Advisors LLC Invests $3.97 Million in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Clear Trail Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 13,001 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $3,974,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MCD. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 162.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp grew its stake in McDonald’s by 95.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Painted Porch Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 735.7% in the third quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. 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 a number of research reports. Tigress Financial upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. BTIG Research upped their target price on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rolling out value items ($3 or less) and $4 breakfast deals in the U.S., plus a Mario Happy Meal tie‑in, is designed to boost traffic and repeat visits amid consumer cost sensitivity — a near‑term demand catalyst. McDonald’s Value Push And Mario Tie In Versus Recent Share Weakness
• Positive Sentiment: Reviving a 36‑year‑old Happy Meal toy collaboration signals brand engagement and promotional lift for kids’ traffic, complementing the Mario campaign. McDonald’s revives 36-year-old fan-favorite Happy Meal toy collab
• Positive Sentiment: The premium “Big Arch” burger is producing a modest traffic bump and is positioned to protect margins while value items drive visits — a two‑pronged pricing/mix strategy that can support revenue and profit per transaction. McDonald’s Big Arch provides a modest traffic bump
• Positive Sentiment: Testing humanoid robots in a Shanghai location signals a push on automation that could lower labor costs and improve throughput in the medium term if scaled successfully. McDonald’s (MCD) Tests Humanoid Robots at Shanghai Restaurant Location
• Neutral Sentiment: Large state‑by‑state price differences highlight local pricing flexibility and franchised variability — this shows pricing power in some markets but inconsistent consumer pricing experience elsewhere. McDonald’s Big Arch—Drastic Price Differences Across States
• Neutral Sentiment: Practical consumer stories (cash‑only rules, niche menu items, food features) drive brand conversation but have limited direct impact on fundamentals. The McDonald’s cash-only rule you need to know about
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/asset‑allocation pieces comparing beaten‑down blue chips (Home Depot vs. McDonald’s) may influence flows but reflect relative valuation/portfolio choice rather than company‑specific news. Home Depot vs McDonald’s: Which Beaten-Down Blue Chip Is the Better Buy Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting “menu missteps” argues that inconsistent or poorly received menu changes could force a strategy reset — a risk to sales mix and margins if McDonald’s needs to overhaul offerings or promotions. McDonald’s latest menu missteps could force a new menu strategy

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $308.26 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $341.75. The company has a market capitalization of $218.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $321.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.57.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. Analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.26%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total value of $8,706,883.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,587,915. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total value of $854,106.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.