Rathbones Group PLC Decreases Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Rathbones Group PLC trimmed its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 79.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 73,243 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 279,902 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $22,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Leo Wealth LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Leo Wealth LLC now owns 28,995 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $8,862,000 after buying an additional 942 shares during the period. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,066 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,934 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $591,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. SC&H Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,312 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $707,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,959 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,516,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204 in the last ninety days. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company reintroduces a true value push — new menu items priced under $3 and meals starting at $5 should help drive customer traffic and comps, supporting near-term sales growth. McDonald’s is bringing back true value
• Positive Sentiment: Local rollout of the simplified “McValue” menu aims to streamline offers and make pricing clearer — a simpler value tier can improve mix, speed of service and marketing efficiency. McDonald’s tries a simpler approach with its new McValue menu
• Positive Sentiment: Ongoing marketing and promotions (e.g., K-pop Demon Hunters cards) continue to engage younger audiences and create short-term revenue uplifts from collectables and limited-time offers. McDonald’s KPop Demon Hunters cards
• Neutral Sentiment: Country-level marketing: McDonald’s Türkiye launched a “Drink & Drive” safety-themed campaign that refreshes brand relevance during travel seasons — supportive for brand but limited immediate financial impact. McDonald’s Türkiye Launches Campaign
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational/PR pieces (e.g., explanations of leftover food handling and fry-oil change frequency) keep consumer trust focused on safety and sustainability — reputationally helpful but unlikely to move earnings materially. Here’s What Happens To McDonald’s Leftover Food
• Neutral Sentiment: Media pieces about nostalgic assets (PlayPlaces) and menu hacks (Filet‑O‑Fish tips) generate consumer interest and social engagement but have limited near-term financial impact. McDonald’s PlayPlaces Were So Popular
• Negative Sentiment: Rising beef prices are prompting McDonald’s to shift menu emphasis toward chicken — this reflects margin pressure from tighter cattle supply and could compress profits unless offset by price or mix improvements. McDonald’s makes a big menu shift as beef prices rise
• Negative Sentiment: Investor comparisons and stock-pitch coverage (e.g., Motley Fool pieces comparing McDonald’s vs. Domino’s) can drive short-term trading volatility depending on which firm analysts favor. These narratives can amplify moves even if fundamentals remain steady. McDonald’s or Domino’s: One of These Is a Screaming Buy Right Now

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $339.69.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $307.17 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $218.21 billion, a PE ratio of 25.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $283.47 and a 52-week high of $341.75. The business’s fifty day moving average is $321.84 and its 200 day moving average is $311.61.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

McDonald’s Company 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.