McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.

Posted by Donald Scott on Mar 13th, 2026

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. lessened its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD – Free Report) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,376 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 3,006 shares during the quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $19,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,286 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,692,000 after buying an additional 1,649 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 11.4% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,017 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $589,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. United Bank lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 6.0% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 8,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,367,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in McDonald’s by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,938 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,780,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock traded up $1.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $325.04. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 753,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,315,312. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.91 billion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.51. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $319.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $311.43.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. Equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

Positive Sentiment: Aggressive value push — McDonald’s plans a roll-out of $3 value items and $4 breakfast deals in the U.S. starting in April to reclaim its “affordable” image and drive visit frequency; investors see this as a traffic driver that could help same-store sales if margins hold. McDonald’s to launch new $3 value items in US starting April, WSJ reports
Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness — Tigress Financial raised its price target and reiterated a Buy, citing McDonald’s multi-year growth strategy and brand strength, which supports upside to the stock’s consensus valuation. Tigress Financial Upgrades McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) Price Target
Positive Sentiment: Digital/loyalty tailwinds — McDonald’s loyalty and digital ecosystem (near ~210M active users) is seen as a durable way to boost visit frequency and monetize promotions, complementing the value push. Can MCD’s Digital Ecosystem Turn Loyalty Into Higher Visit Frequency?
Positive Sentiment: Brand/viral marketing lift — coverage of the CEO’s viral burger video and meme traction is being framed as low-cost marketing that can increase engagement and sales without large ad spends. How McDonald’s CEO’s viral burger video turned memes into money
Neutral Sentiment: Product and PR noise — reviews of new items (e.g., the Big Arch) and novelty promotions keep brand relevance high but are unlikely to change fundamentals by themselves. McDonald’s Big Arch review: Is the beefy burger worth the hype?
Neutral Sentiment: Public concern about execution — some outlets and social chatter raise concerns about franchisee economics and whether steeply discounted $3 items can be rolled out without margin pain or operational strain; this is a watch item for investors. McDonald’s planning value menu, internet has one major concern
Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — President of McDonald’s USA (Joseph Erlinger) disclosed a sale of 2,626 shares (~$862k). While routine filings aren’t uncommon, some investors treat insider selling as a modest negative signal. Insider sale filing

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total value of $862,220.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,867,393.22. This trade represents a 23.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 74,143 shares of company stock valued at $24,517,724 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on MCD. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Guggenheim cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $339.69.

View Our Latest Research Report on McDonald’s

About McDonald’s

(Free Report)

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.