W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co Sells 2,060 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co cut its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 26.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,604 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,060 shares during the quarter. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,294,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 82,180 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,026,000. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings 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 during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,471,725 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $397,822,000 after buying an additional 97,060 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 60.0% in the 3rd quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 40,000 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $9,238,000 after buying an additional 15,000 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target to $320 from $310 and reiterated a “buy” rating, signaling confidence in the stock’s prospects. Argus rating
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is testing value bundles at nearly 2,000 U.S. restaurants, ahead of a planned national value platform in early 2027. The deals may help bring back customers, but the company is still assessing their effect on traffic and orders. McDonald’s value-bundle test
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-quarter profit beat analyst estimates, but revenue missed and U.S. comparable sales declined. That mixed backdrop helps explain why investors are watching for evidence that value promotions can sustain a domestic recovery. Q3 earnings and U.S. traffic
• Negative Sentiment: Consumers have filed a lawsuit alleging McDonald’s labeled McCafé drinks “sugar free” despite some containing as much as 18 grams of sugar. The allegations are unproven, but the case could create legal and reputational risk. McCafé labeling lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker cut its rating from “buy” to “hold” and lowered its price target to $298 from $305, adding a more cautious view alongside the recent analyst optimism. Freedom Broker rating change

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock traded down $1.68 on Friday, hitting $276.36. 6,331,310 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,495,061. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $248.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $282.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.56 billion, a PE ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.42. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $229.20 and a 1 year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.19. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 572.06% and a net margin of 31.72%. The firm had revenue of $7.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.22 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.93 per share. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $7.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Freedom Capital raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on McDonald’s from $308.00 to $297.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 28th. TD Cowen raised their target price on McDonald’s from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $297.82.

McDonald’s Company 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.