McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Stock Position Lifted by Carnegie Investment Counsel

Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,447 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,515 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $15,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. WD Rutherford LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the third quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $991,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the third quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $736,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.3% during the 3rd 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. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE MCD opened at $305.64 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $321.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $311.66. The company has a market cap of $217.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised earnings estimates for McDonald’s, which supports near-term analyst sentiment and valuation models. Erste Group Bank Increases Earnings Estimates for McDonald’s
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 benchmarking coverage highlights McDonald’s solid Q4 results (revenue and EPS beats), reinforcing the company’s resilient margins and franchise model—important fundamentals for medium-term investors. Traditional Fast Food Stocks Q4 Results: Benchmarking McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD)
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is a featured participant in a major sustainability summit alongside PepsiCo and Walmart, which may help with ESG positioning and institutional investor interest. PepsiCo, Walmart and McDonald’s to Lead US Sustainability Summit Programme
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and Yahoo finance pieces note MCD as a “trending” stock and highlight metrics investors watch (earnings momentum, Zacks ESP); useful context but not a direct catalyst. Here is What to Know Beyond Why McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on whether Warren Buffett owns McDonald’s provides background on investor interest but doesn’t imply immediate buying pressure. Is Warren Buffett Invested in McDonald’s?
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing collaborations (e.g., K-pop partnership) are brand-building initiatives that could boost traffic among younger demographics over time. KPop Demon Hunters X McDonald’s X VANDYTHEPINK Collab Coming To Complex
• Negative Sentiment: Repeated viral coverage criticizing the CEO’s on-camera bite and etiquette has generated negative PR; while largely reputational, it can weigh on sentiment and retail investor reactions in the short term. McDonald’s CEO roasted yet again for eating on-camera
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive stories highlighting Burger King’s product revamp and market wins raise concerns about share dynamics in key segments—could pressure same-store sales expectations if sustained. How Burger King is beating McDonald’s with revamped Whopper

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on MCD. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Tigress Financial increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $339.69.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204 in the last quarter. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.