Secure Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 40.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,969 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,002 shares during the quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 142.9% in the second quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at $25,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Nova Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, GFG Capital LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s raised its quarterly dividend to $1.86 (annualized $7.44), signaling continued free‑cash‑flow strength and supporting the stock’s income appeal. (Dividend disclosure appeared in recent MarketBeat reporting.)
• Positive Sentiment: Holiday marketing is driving strong attention — the Grinch Meal promotion generated broad press and consumer buzz, which can boost seasonal traffic and brand engagement. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s revived its digital MONOPOLY promotion to push app downloads, reinforce value messaging and support U.S. traffic for Q4 — a digital-first campaign that can improve repeat visits and AUVs. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and institutional activity remains mixed: several analysts reaffirm or tweak targets around the low‑to‑mid $300s, and institutional holdings changed modestly — supports a “hold” consensus but not a clear re‑rating catalyst. (Coverage summarized in recent market reports.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Political/insider transaction news: a report noted Representative Julie Johnson sold shares of McDonald’s; such public selling can draw short‑term attention but doesn’t change fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Desiree Ralls‑Morrison sold 2,486 shares (~$795k at $320) and reduced her holdings ~28% — insider selling can be perceived negatively by investors, especially when clustered with other sales. SEC filing: Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational hit: McDonald’s pulled an AI Christmas ad after backlash in some markets, which generated negative headlines and potential short‑term brand distraction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader industry pressure: analysts note U.S. restaurants face softer demand, higher value sensitivity and cost pressures — a tougher consumer backdrop could cap same‑store sales and margin upside. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Mizuho upgraded shares of McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $324.57.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,169,430. This represents a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total transaction of $977,094.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 6,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,861,832.16. This trade represents a 34.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $315.85 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $276.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.52. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $307.19 and a 200 day moving average of $303.93.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The company’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 63.48%.

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.