James Investment Research Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

James Investment Research Inc. decreased its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,534 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,944 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up 1.1% of James Investment Research Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $10,249,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its position in McDonald’s by 95.7% during the 4th quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. DecisionPoint Financial LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 1,616.7% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 103 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Painted Porch Advisors LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 735.7% during the third quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis Capital Management bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares in the company, valued at $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total value of $8,706,883.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,587,915. The trade was a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company rolled out a nationwide value menu and sub‑$3 items intended to drive traffic and simplify promotions — a potentially material near‑term top‑line boost. McDonald’s new value menu debuts today
• Positive Sentiment: Menu revamp (≈17 items) and “protein” badges aim to keep menu relevant amid changing consumer trends (GLP‑1 impact), supporting average check and guest counts. McDonald’s revamps menu across 17 items
• Positive Sentiment: New promotional tie‑ins (Stranger Things Happy Meals) and refreshed beverages are low‑cost demand drivers that help maintain brand relevance and incremental sales. McDonald’s introducing new ‘Stranger Things’ Happy Meal
• Positive Sentiment: Franchise expansion: McDonald’s opened more U.S. restaurants in 2025 than any year since 2002 — supports long‑term unit growth and franchise economics. McDonald’s added a lot of new U.S. restaurants in 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Some models still point to upside (24/7 Wall St. $341 PT) but flag “execution cracks” — supportive for medium‑term targets but mixed for near‑term momentum. McDonald’s Price Target Hits $341—But Cracks Are Starting to Show
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC sees Q1 roughly in line with consensus, reducing the chance of a major near‑term earnings surprise. McDonald’s Seen Posting Largely In-Line First-Quarter Results, RBC Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Options flow and commentary show retail traders selling premium via spreads — market positioning implies limited downside expectations and muted volatility. Selling A Spread On McDonald’s Stock Could Deliver A Big Mac-Sized Return
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: Joseph M. Erlinger (President, McDonald’s USA) sold 333 shares (~$100.8k) — small in scale but visible to investors and sometimes interpreted as a mild negative signal. Insider Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Trademark/IP risk: USPTO has challenged McDonald’s attempt to reclaim “Extra Value Meal” — losing exclusive control over a core promotional term could complicate branding. McDonald’s fights to win back ‘Extra Value Meal’ moniker
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/reputational watch: equality watchdog says work with McDonald’s on sexual‑harassment prevention is “ongoing,” keeping reputational risk on investors’ radars. Equality watchdog update

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $299.62 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $212.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $317.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $312.06.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.83 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.21 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $354.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Erste Group Bank raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised McDonald’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $306.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.93.

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.