McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Stock: Trek Financial LLC Lowers Position

Trek Financial LLC decreased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 80.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,518 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 6,342 shares during the period. Trek Financial LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $350,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s by 4,008.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 84,230 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $22,768,000 after buying an additional 82,180 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,026,000. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 16.9% during the 2nd quarter. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. now owns 13,859 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,746,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,471,725 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $397,822,000 after buying an additional 97,060 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 60.0% during the 3rd quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 40,000 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $9,238,000 after buying an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $282.00 to $270.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. HC Wainwright set a $250.00 price target on McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Mizuho lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $290.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered McDonald’s from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $292.76.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: New seasonal drinks and a planned Pokémon promotion could help attract customers and support sales. McDonald’s is also expanding its beverage push. Article: McDonald’s launches 2026 holiday menu with new seasonal drinks
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is scheduled to report third-quarter results before the market opens on Nov. 4. Analysts expect modest profit growth, but the report and outlook will be closely watched for signs that weaker U.S. traffic and higher expenses are pressuring margins. Article: McDonald’s Stock Rests on Full-Year Earnings Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Pre-earnings coverage points to a tough consumer backdrop and potentially slower sales growth, with soft U.S. customer traffic, rising costs and operational issues weighing on near-term expectations. Article: McDonald’s Q3 sales expected to slow amid tough consumer backdrop
• Negative Sentiment: A judge declined to dismiss a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging McDonald’s misled customers about the McRib’s meat. The case proceeding creates legal and reputational risk, though no outcome or financial impact has been determined. Article: McDonald’s loses bid to dismiss McRib lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. lawmakers questioned the CEO about algorithmic pricing tools, raising the prospect of further scrutiny of the company’s pricing practices. Article: US lawmakers question McDonald’s CEO about algorithmic pricing practices

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $262.75 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $229.20 and a one year high of $341.75. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $247.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $282.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.42.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 572.06%. The business’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.93 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $7.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 60.44%.

McDonald’s Profile

McDonald’s Corporation is a global quick-service restaurant company that operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand. Its restaurants serve a menu that includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, breakfast items, desserts, salads, beverages and coffee. Offerings vary by market, and many locations provide drive-thru service, delivery and digital ordering through the McDonald’s mobile app.

The company operates through a heavily franchised business model, with restaurants owned and operated by independent franchisees, affiliates and the company itself.