McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Bought by Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 24.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,183 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 4,108 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $6,437,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. WD Rutherford LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $991,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% in the third quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $736,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.0% during the third quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 0.3% during the third quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,352,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NorthStar Asset Management LLC NJ lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 3.6% in the second quarter. NorthStar Asset Management LLC NJ now owns 1,003 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.86 per share payable March 17, 2026 — a direct return of capital that supports income investors and signals confidence in cash flow. McDONALD’S ANNOUNCES QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG upgraded MCD to Buy, which can push momentum as funds and retail investors often follow upgrades. BTIG Research Upgrades McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s global marketing push — widely covered stories about free “McNugget Caviar” kits and Valentine’s Day promotions — is creating brand buzz and foot-traffic experiments that can lift short-term comps and social engagement. McDonald’s is giving away free McNugget Caviar kits for Valentine’s Day. How to get yours
• Positive Sentiment: Loek Beckers named CFO of McDonald’s USA — an important leadership hire for U.S. operations that can support execution on cost and growth initiatives. Loek Beckers named CFO of McDonald’s USA
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s said it is scaling back soda fountains and hinted at larger format/technology changes — could reduce costs and drive modernization, but execution and capital requirements are uncertain. McDonald’s is scaling back soda fountains – and it hints at a larger change ahead
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reminders and calendar items: the firm flagged investor resources and the upcoming quarterly earnings release — investors will focus on the report for guidance and same-store sales color. McDonald’s (MCD) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks preview argued McDonald’s may not have the right setup for an earnings beat, highlighting uncertainty around near-term margin/traffic drivers — a reminder that growth expectations may be tempered. McDonald’s (MCD) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MCD. Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Mizuho raised shares of McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $331.37.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $323.28 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $230.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $310.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $306.92. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $283.47 and a 52-week high of $326.95.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released 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 company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.58, for a total transaction of $805,079.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,654,918.84. This represents a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total value of $2,006,218.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,407,133. This represents a 58.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 32,008 shares of company stock valued at $9,895,452 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.