Alliancebernstein L.P. Has $403.40 Million Stock Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,327,466 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 59,077 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.19% of McDonald’s worth $403,404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $21,773,010,000 after purchasing an additional 316,638 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in 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 valued at $10,175,800,000 after acquiring an additional 272,139 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at about $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised 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 valued at $1,676,339,000 after acquiring an additional 5,718,087 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,412,069,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. BTIG Research upped their target price on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total value of $862,220.84. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,867,393.22. This represents a 23.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 have sold 74,143 shares of company stock worth $24,517,724 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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?

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of MCD opened at $326.41 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $231.88 billion, a PE ratio of 27.31, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.51. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $320.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $311.51.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company 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 $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

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.