Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Boosts Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,632,004 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 63,225 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $494,922,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MCD. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 162.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Park Place Capital Corp grew its position in McDonald’s by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 1,616.7% in the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 103 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Painted Porch Advisors LLC raised its position 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MCD. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded McDonald’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $306.00 in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price target on McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. 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 report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $340.93.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $285.13 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $313.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.43. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $283.02 and a 52-week high of $341.75.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.83 EPS. Analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Menu and beverage innovation could boost traffic and average checks — McDonald’s is rolling out six new specialty drinks (craft sodas and “Refreshers”) while phasing out self‑serve soda fountains, part of a broader menu and restaurant refresh that UBS and other outlets say could help the chain rebound. McDonald’s debuts crafted sodas & Refreshers
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlighting a potential bounce — UBS/coverage noted that menu, marketing and loyalty momentum could drive a recovery if execution and comps stabilize, giving investors a reason to buy into a post-earnings rebound. McDonald’s likely to bounce as chain overhauls menus, UBS says
• Neutral Sentiment: Franchise-law developments could support long-term stability — commentary on the American Franchise Act stresses bipartisan support for franchise protections that would favor system stability and the franchise model McDonald’s relies on (more of a long-term structural tailwind than an immediate catalyst). This one federal standard is the ‘lynchpin’ of franchising
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term dividend/total-return narrative remains intact — pieces revisiting a decade-long investment case underscore buybacks, steady dividend policy and digital rollout as structural positives, but these are background factors vs. near-term earnings. If you had invested $1,000 in McDonald’s a decade ago
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 downside risk: UBS warns U.S. comparable‑sales could miss consensus due to weather and cost pressure — that raises the odds of an earnings reaction if McDonald’s reports softer U.S. comps or margin compression. McDonald’s could miss first-quarter US comparable sales consensus, UBS says
• Negative Sentiment: Shares already under pressure into earnings — coverage highlights that MCD hit a 52‑week low ahead of the print, reflecting investor caution and making the stock more sensitive to any negative surprise. McDonald’s stock hits 52-week low ahead of earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade increases sell-side cautiousness — Erste Group’s downgrade to Hold cites expected below‑sector profit growth, which can weigh on sentiment if others follow. Erste Group turns cautious on McDonald’s, downgrades to Hold

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.72, for a total value of $100,805.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,442,042.24. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 71,990 shares of company stock worth $23,824,113 over the last ninety days. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.