Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Raises Stock Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 115,866 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,400 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $35,211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $333.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following 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. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,407,133. This represents a 58.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,634 shares of company stock valued at $10,749,559. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $323.33 on Thursday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $328.06. The stock has a market cap of $230.26 billion, a PE ratio of 27.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50-day moving average of $312.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $307.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.48%.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — McDonald’s reported stronger-than-expected Q4 results (revenue up ~9.7% YoY; EPS beat consensus), driven by rising comparable sales and traffic tied to value offers. This is the primary bullish catalyst supporting the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Value strategy and loyalty gains — Management says Extra Value Meals and promotions pulled back budget-conscious customers; systemwide loyalty sales rose ~20% and 90‑day active users climbed to ~210M, underpinning sustainable traffic and digital sales growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backdrop supportive — Multiple firms have buy/overweight ratings and recent price targets generally sit above the current share level, giving analysts a lift to investor confidence after the results. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Menu innovation to address trends — McDonald’s is testing high‑protein menu items to appeal to consumers using GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs, a potential revenue hedge if eating habits shift. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing buzz — Limited-time stunts (e.g., McNugget “caviar” kits) sold out quickly and drove media attention and short‑term traffic, but are unlikely to be a sustained earnings driver. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Growth roadmap commentary — Coverage (podcasts/analysis) highlights management’s push toward a larger store base (discussion of a 50k footprint) — strategic upside but long‑dated. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee friction — Some franchisees resist centralized pricing/value moves, which could complicate uniform execution and limit margin upside if disputes persist. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — A senior U.S. executive disclosed the sale of ~2,626 shares (~$854K), which may be interpreted as profit-taking and can damp investor sentiment after the earnings pop. Read More.

About McDonald’s

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.