Retirement Planning Group LLC Purchases New Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Retirement Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,574 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $1,694,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter worth about $25,000. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $307.82 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $219.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $308.41 and a 200-day moving average of $305.30. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $276.53 and a one year 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.23 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.48%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. The trade was a 28.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,169,430. This trade represents a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 45,142 shares of company stock valued at $13,841,169. 0.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Canada price-lock: McDonald’s Canada announced a one‑year $5 meal price lock intended to drive traffic and goodwill in a key market (may pressure short‑term margin but supports comp sales). McDonald’s Canada price lock
• Positive Sentiment: Promotions & menu tailwinds: Return of high‑profile promotions (Pokémon Happy Meal), a large new burger and a permanent menu item after decades are likely to boost traffic and drive incremental sales in the near term. Pokémon Happy Meal
• Positive Sentiment: Operational upgrades: Reports detail major changes to drive‑thru lanes and a company push to use AI across services/operations — potential medium‑term cost savings and capacity gains that investors tend to reward. Drive-thru changes
• Positive Sentiment: Sales momentum noted: Coverage highlights a recent 2.4% sales jump after reviving an “old‑school” strategy, supporting the thesis that merchandising and local tactics can lift comps. Sales jump article
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview: Analysts expect single‑digit bottom‑line growth in the upcoming quarter — a modest outlook that leaves room for either a market boost on a beat or further weakness on a miss. Earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Franchise/industry items: New leadership at Armada’s McDonald’s unit and country‑specific menu features (France/Italy/Portugal) matter for execution but are not immediate corporate results drivers. Armada appointments
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Joseph M. Erlinger (President, International Oper.) sold 2,626 shares (~$805k) and trimmed his stake ~33% — a disclosure that can weaken sentiment if interpreted as reduced insider conviction. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk: McRib-related class‑action fraud suit alleges product misrepresentation — potential reputational and legal costs if it escalates. McRib lawsuit

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 24th. Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, January 8th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $328.88.

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.