AE Wealth Management LLC Purchases 36,277 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 316,941 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,277 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $96,316,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 84.1% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 141,775 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $41,422,000 after acquiring an additional 64,757 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 236.7% in the 3rd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,976,000 after purchasing an additional 4,571 shares in the last quarter. Welch Group LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 206,004 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $60,188,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $43,606,000 after buying an additional 3,774 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 58,515 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $17,096,000 after buying an additional 954 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. BTIG Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Oppenheimer raised 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 report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $328.88.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock opened at $312.75 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $222.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $309.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $306.26. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $283.47 and a 52-week high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.23 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total transaction of $2,006,218.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,407,133. This represents a 58.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares in the company, valued at $8,169,430. This trade represents a 39.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,142 shares of company stock worth $13,841,169. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company is pushing $5 and $8 Extra Value Meals to drive U.S. traffic and affordability into 2026 — a clear initiative to regain guest frequency and compete on price. Are Extra Value Meals the Key to McDonald’s Traffic Recovery in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Company is doubling down on value (revived Snack Wrap, $5 options) as part of a franchise rebound strategy — supports unit-level sales and franchisee economics. McDonald’s doubles down on value: $5 meals, Snack Wrap revival fuel franchise rebound
• Positive Sentiment: New limited-time menu items (Hot Honey menu) are generating positive consumer buzz and reviews — could boost check averages and short-term traffic if adoption continues. I tried McDonald’s new hot honey menu & this is the one item you need to try
• Positive Sentiment: Return of nostalgic Happy Meal toys (Changeables / 1980s line, FRIENDS Meal collectibles) supports brand engagement and family traffic — low-cost promotional lift. McDonald’s brings back an iconic item from the 1980s
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitors (e.g., Domino’s) are mirroring McDonald’s focus on larger value deals — validates the strategy but may intensify pricing competition across quick-service peers. Domino’s follows McDonald’s menu plan, adds bigger deals
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies expects Q4 results roughly inline with estimates and notes limited potential for near‑term surprises — reduces the chance of a positive catalyst from earnings and may keep the stock muted. McDonald’s seen delivering inline fourth quarter results as share gains support sales

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.