Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Buys 7,226 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 2.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 350,542 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 7,226 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $106,526,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% in the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth $29,000. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Davis Capital Management acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Miller Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares in the company, valued at $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 74,143 shares of company stock valued at $24,517,724 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE MCD opened at $326.41 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.31, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $320.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $311.52. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target to $385 and reiterated a Buy, citing McDonald’s multi‑year growth strategy and brand strength — a clear analyst endorsement that supports upside to the stock. Tigress Financial Upgrades McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) Price Target, Highlights Multi-Year Growth Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Value menu push: McDonald’s is rolling out $3 value items and $4 breakfast deals in the U.S. starting in April to win back price‑sensitive customers — a traffic‑driving move that could boost visit frequency if franchisees and consumers adopt it. McDonald’s to launch new $3 value items in US starting April, WSJ reports
• Positive Sentiment: Digital/loyalty tailwinds: Management cites a large loyalty base and digital tools as drivers for higher visit frequency and better targeted promotions — structural levers for revenue per user and margin expansion over time. Can MCD’s Digital Ecosystem Turn Loyalty Into Higher Visit Frequency?
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and product noise: Viral moments (CEO burger video → memes) and new product reviews (e.g., Big Arch) keep brand relevance and social buzz high but are unlikely to move fundamentals immediately. How McDonald’s CEO’s viral burger video turned memes into money
• Neutral Sentiment: Menu coverage / consumer perception: Media attention on affordability and menu mix helps narrative but the actual impact depends on execution and unit economics. McDonald’s Plans New $3 Menu, in Latest Bid to Win Customers With Better Deals
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Executive Joseph Erlinger disclosed a sale of 2,626 shares (~$862k). While routine insider sales aren’t always predictive, they can be interpreted as a mild negative signal by some investors. Insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term dampener: Analysts and commentary note the stock is down since earnings (some profit‑taking and valuation debates persist), which can cap near‑term upside until fresh evidence of traffic/margin improvement appears. Why Is McDonald’s (MCD) Down 2.5% Since Last Earnings Report?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MCD. Argus upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $339.69.

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.