Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Buys 8,028 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 38.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,685 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,028 shares during the period. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $8,767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 236.7% during 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 during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position 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 valued at $43,606,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares during the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,120,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 317.2% in the 3rd quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,691,000 after acquiring an additional 14,506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,533,015 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $465,868,000 after acquiring an additional 37,744 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total value of $8,706,883.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,587,915. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total value of $854,106.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. This represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204 in the last 90 days. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management says digital channels (app, delivery, kiosks, loyalty) now represent a meaningful share of systemwide sales, supporting higher engagement and longer‑term margin/leverage potential. Will McDonald’s Digital Sales Mix Drive Its Next Phase of Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s expanded its value strategy (new Under‑$3 items, $4 breakfast, $5–$6 bundles / McValue 2.0) to protect traffic as consumers tighten budgets — a defensive move likely to support same‑store sales in a weaker consumer environment. McDonald’s is adding value meals as food prices continue to rise
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Erste Group nudged up its FY2027 EPS estimate and maintains a Buy rating, which can boost investor confidence versus consensus estimates. (Research note cited by market coverage.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Pop‑culture promos (KPop “Demon Hunters” meal) are generating engagement and secondary revenue from collectible card resale markets — these campaigns raise traffic and earned media but have mixed and hard‑to‑quantify sales impact. Cards from McDonald’s KPop Demon Hunters meal sell online. Is yours rare?
• Neutral Sentiment: Extensive media coverage of the CEO’s viral taste‑test video and his subsequent responses has kept McDonald’s in the headlines; this generates short‑term noise but so far limited evidence of sustainable traffic impact. The Economic Divide Behind That McDonald’s CEO Viral Video
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing PR friction from the viral CEO clip and follow‑up coverage could dent brand sentiment among some customers and create earnings risk if the story lingers. McDonald’s CEO Breaks Silence With Response to Viral Backlash
• Negative Sentiment: A rival franchisee has filed Chapter 11 (65 restaurants at risk), highlighting margin and credit stress in parts of the quick‑service ecosystem that could pressure local franchise dynamics. McDonald’s rival franchisee files Chapter 11, 65 restaurants at risk
• Negative Sentiment: Recent intraday weakness and a small pullback in the prior session show investors are watching short‑term headlines; that volatility could persist until the market fully digests the value push and digital acceleration. McDonald’s (MCD) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $307.48 on Thursday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $283.47 and a 52 week high of $341.75. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $321.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $311.66. The company has a market cap of $218.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS 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 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Oppenheimer raised McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen 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 MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.