McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Acquired by Stance Capital LLC

Stance Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 29.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,843 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,497 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up 1.2% of Stance Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Stance Capital LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,295,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,647,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,773,010,000 after acquiring an additional 316,638 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,024,857 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,643,704,000 after purchasing an additional 196,505 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 29,382.3% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,676,339,000 after purchasing an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,412,069,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total transaction of $862,220.84. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,867,393.22. The trade was a 23.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total transaction of $8,764,097.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,638,066. This trade represents a 53.43% 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 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on MCD shares. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $339.69.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company rolling out a new low-priced “McValue 2.0” menu — $3-and-under items plus $4 breakfast deals starting in April could drive traffic and same-store sales if adoption is strong. McDonald’s Expands Value Offerings with New Low-Priced Menu Push
• Positive Sentiment: Viral CEO “Big Arch” moment and strong early Big Arch sales have lifted brand chatter and foot traffic, providing a short-term sales boost and prompting competitive responses across the sector. Viral CEO Big Arch Moment Tests McDonald’s Pricing And Traffic Story
• Positive Sentiment: Management is advancing post‑pandemic strategic steps (digital, menu and operations changes) that could sustain long-term profitability and unit economics. McDonald’s Just Announced the Next Big Step In Its Post-Pandemic Strategy…
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance context: a comparative piece on 10‑year returns vs. peers highlights resilience but is background rather than a near-term catalyst. If You Had Invested $1,000 in McDonald’s or Starbucks 10 Years Ago…
• Neutral Sentiment: Local charity promotion (25 cents per shake) supports PR and community engagement but has minimal impact on revenues. 25 cents from every shake sold at McDonald’s goes to the local chapter…
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst activity: several price-target upgrades since the Feb. 11 earnings beat, but the stock’s muted movement has created options/short-put trade interest — signaling mixed conviction. McDonald’s Stock Price Targets Are Higher – Shorting MCD Puts Works Here
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: analysts and commentators note McDonald’s current valuation (mid-to-high 20s P/E) leaves limited upside, constraining rally potential absent clear margin expansion. McDonald’s McValue 2.0 Menu Is Appetizing But Valuation Leaves Little Room For Upside
• Negative Sentiment: Relative performance risk: industry peers (e.g., DRI, QSR) have outpaced MCD recently, highlighting competitive pressures and the risk of market share or multiple compression. Why DRI And QSR Are Outpacing McDonald’s Stock

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD opened at $326.38 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The stock has a market cap of $231.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $321.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.70.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were 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 was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

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.