Rathbones Group PLC Acquires 49,011 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Rathbones Group PLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 353,145 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 49,011 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $107,317,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vinva Investment Management Ltd grew its position in McDonald’s by 26.2% during the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 7,637 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,314,000 after buying an additional 1,585 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 117,591 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $35,735,000 after acquiring an additional 2,633 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 42.0% during the 3rd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 6,889 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,093,000 after acquiring an additional 2,039 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 23,022 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,996,000 after acquiring an additional 3,443 shares during the period. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 12,591 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,826,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target on MCD to $385 and kept a “buy” rating, implying roughly 17% upside from the current price — a direct bullish signal from an analyst that can drive buying interest. Street Insider: PT Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Capgemini extended its technology partnership with McDonald’s for five years to modernize restaurants and accelerate digital features — supports efficiency, digital sales growth and execution of the “Accelerating the Arches” strategy. Capgemini partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic expansion plan: analyst coverage (Zacks) highlights MCD’s target of ~50,000 restaurants by 2027 with 2,600 openings planned for 2026 — accelerates unit-driven revenue potential and global footprint growth. Zacks: 50K restaurant target
• Positive Sentiment: Brand & merchandising lift: Crocs x Happy Meal collaboration and revived Happy Meal partnerships drive PR and collectible demand that can boost traffic and AUVs in limited windows. Crocs Happy Meal collab
• Neutral Sentiment: Local development: planning for a third McDonald’s in Collierville, TN — incremental local growth but immaterial to companywide fundamentals. Collierville restaurant plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend narratives continue to feature MCD among reliable payers — supports longer‑term investor interest but is not an immediate price catalyst. Dividend stocks article
• Negative Sentiment: Product/PR risk from Big Arch launch — the nationwide rollout and a viral 13‑second CEO taste‑test video produced heavy attention but mixed consumer reviews and social backlash; competitors (Burger King, Wendy’s) have publicly trolled the clip. That creates short‑term reputational noise and raises the risk that the premium product may not sustain lift if consumer reception or value perception proves weak. Big Arch coverage

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,005,760. The trade was a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. This trade represents a 73.02% 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 have sold 71,517 shares of company stock valued at $23,655,503. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price target on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $328.22 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $233.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.47, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.51. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $318.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.04.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.26%.

McDonald’s 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.