Dakota Wealth Management Decreases Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Dakota Wealth Management reduced its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,107 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,371 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $9,757,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,647,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,773,010,000 after purchasing an additional 316,638 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.8% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,828,352 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,175,800,000 after purchasing an additional 272,139 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 1.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,828,420 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $4,901,595,000 after buying an additional 276,065 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,780,712,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 29,382.3% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,676,339,000 after buying an additional 5,718,087 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $334.55 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $314.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $309.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $335.67. The company has a market cap of $238.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.52.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,550 shares of company stock worth $23,484,957. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 target price on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $337.04.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is rolling out the national Big Arch burger in early March — a high-visibility product launch that could boost store traffic and temporary check increases if it resonates with consumers. McDonald’s Big Arch burger is headed to US menus in early March — here’s what to know
• Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and coverage highlight McDonald’s expanding focus on larger, premium sandwiches and upsell items — a menu trend that supports higher average checks and margin expansion. McDonald’s goes big on a growing menu trend
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group upgraded MCD to Buy and expects stronger sales growth for 2026 (included in lists of low-volatility dividend stocks), giving investors a catalyst and fresh conviction around earnings upside. Erste Group Sees McDonald’s (MCD) Benefiting from Strong Financial Profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational tweak: McDonald’s updated its cash-rounding rules as pennies disappear — a small checkout/transaction change that could slightly simplify cash handling but has limited earnings impact. McDonald’s updates its cash rules as pennies vanish – how this might change your checkout routine
• Neutral Sentiment: Feature story on packaging evolution — useful for brand/ESG narrative but unlikely to move near-term fundamentals. How McDonald’s packaging has changed over the decades
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness (Dow down, software weakness) could apply short-term downward pressure on MCD despite company-specific positives if risk-off sentiment deepens. Stock Market Today: Dow Dives, Cybersecurity Plays Hit As Software Sinks; Gold Stocks Shine (Live Coverage)

About McDonald’s

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.