Advocate Group LLC Sells 2,100 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Advocate Group LLC trimmed its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,855 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,100 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for 1.5% of Advocate Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $9,125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MCD. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 171.7% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 36.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,336,155,000 after buying an additional 1,179,244 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in McDonald’s by 111.3% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,071,296 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $629,446,000 after buying an additional 1,090,849 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in McDonald’s by 927.5% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 827,547 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $251,483,000 after buying an additional 927,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 766.5% during the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 885,629 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $269,134,000 after buying an additional 783,416 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total transaction of $862,220.84. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,867,393.22. The trade was a 23.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total value of $8,764,097.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,638,066. The trade was a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $339.69.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $307.17 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $321.84 and its 200 day moving average is $311.56. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid 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 was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company-wide value push — McDonald’s will debut a simplified McValue “Under $3” menu (10 items) and $4 breakfast deals later this month; expected to drive traffic, app engagement and defend market share in a price-sensitive consumer environment. McDonald’s Under $3 Menu will make its debut later this month
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and local product innovation — regional initiatives (e.g., McDonald’s Türkiye ‘Archie’) and youth-focused promotions (K‑Pop/Netflix tie-ins) can boost brand relevance and short‑term engagement, but sales/monetization impact is uncertain. McDonald’s Türkiye Introduces ‘Archie’ for Gamers
• Negative Sentiment: Margin risk from lower pricing — widespread coverage notes these are some of McDonald’s lowest prices in years; while that can lift visits, substituting higher‑margin items for sub‑$3 offers and $4 breakfasts could compress margin per transaction and pressure near‑term EPS. McDonald’s is rolling out some of its lowest prices in years

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.