Gradient Investments LLC Sells 2,629 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Gradient Investments LLC trimmed its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 2.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 122,566 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,629 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $33,131,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,649 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,017 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $589,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. United Bank boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 8,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $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 worth $3,780,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital upgraded McDonald’s (MCD) from “hold” to “strong-buy,” while BTIG reiterated its “buy” rating. These calls suggest some analysts view the recent selloff as excessive and expect a recovery. McDonald’s analyst upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s remains attractive to income-focused investors because of its long record of dividend payments. Its latest quarterly earnings also exceeded consensus expectations, and global markets continue to provide support. McDonald’s dividend history
• Neutral Sentiment: Forecast coverage is mixed. Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $319, while RBC and Robert W. Baird issued pessimistic outlooks; a separate forecast highlighted potential upside from McDonald’s loyalty scale and the faster-than-expected rollout of its beverage platform. Morgan Stanley lowers McDonald’s price target
• Negative Sentiment: The main issue is weak U.S. performance. Management acknowledged an execution problem involving the value menu, digital offers, restaurant workload, and marketing—not a flawed overall strategy. Customers continue to demand better value, raising concerns about traffic and near-term sales growth. McDonald’s Q2 earnings call
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure is increasing, with Burger King reporting stronger U.S. sales momentum as McDonald’s growth falters. Wendy’s weak traffic and withdrawn outlook add to broader investor concern about value-oriented fast-food demand. Burger King gains against McDonald’s
• Negative Sentiment: McDonald’s has pushed back its goal of reaching 50,000 restaurants, suggesting that economic conditions are slowing expansion. The end of its Krispy Kreme doughnut partnership also removes a recent menu-growth initiative. McDonald’s expansion plans

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD opened at $274.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $194.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $274.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $296.42. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $260.96 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 512.80%. The business’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.19 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 60.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Cfra upgraded shares of McDonald’s to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the company from $260.00 to $306.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler set a $286.00 target price on McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday. Erste Group Bank lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $325.44.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 8,348 shares of company stock valued at $2,355,634 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.