Smith Salley Wealth Management Grows Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Smith Salley Wealth Management grew its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,469 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 2,129 shares during the quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,485,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 29,382.3% during the second 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 purchasing an additional 5,718,087 shares in the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,412,069,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 171.7% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $913,157,000 after buying an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in McDonald’s by 96.0% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 4,032,676 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,188,147,000 after buying an additional 1,974,751 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Mizuho upgraded shares of McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $324.57.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is reviving its Monopoly sweepstakes after almost a decade — a large national promotion that can drive foot traffic, boost same-store sales temporarily, and increase customer engagement this quarter. McDonald’s brings back Monopoly sweepstakes
• Positive Sentiment: Leaked details of a Pokémon TCG collaboration (30th anniversary tie‑in) point to further limited-time merchandising that can lift transactions among younger demographics and collectors. These kinds of collectibles often increase average ticket and repeat visits. McDonald’s Next Pokémon TCG Collab Leaked
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s has brought back a larger “Big Mac on steroids” limited-time burger — another promotional move to stimulate comps and media buzz during a season when promos can shift short-term sales. McDonald’s brings back ‘Big Mac on steroids’
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is changing how it handles cash payments due to a penny shortage — operationally relevant (speed/complexity at point-of-sale) but unlikely to materially affect revenue; could improve checkout efficiency but risks confusing cash customers. McDonald’s is changing cash payments
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing teases in the U.K. and holiday hours pieces (New Year’s Eve/Day openness) are short-term PR items that support brand visibility but are unlikely to move fundamentals. Cryptic UK menu tease
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses outlining “4 big changes” for 2026 and commentary about McDonald’s re-establishing value signal strategic shifts (pricing, promotions, menu changes). These affect margins and traffic in opposing ways and warrant watching but are not immediate earnings shocks. 4 big changes coming to McDonald’s in 2026

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total transaction of $2,006,218.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,133. The trade was a 58.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,169,430. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090 in the last 90 days. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $307.95 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $308.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $219.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.28, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $276.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32.

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

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $1.86 dividend. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.48%.

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.