Carnegie Investment Counsel Sells 6,433 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Carnegie Investment Counsel decreased its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 11.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 47,932 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 6,433 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $14,566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 142.9% in the second quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Nova Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, GFG Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE:MCD opened at $310.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a fifty day moving average of $308.02 and a 200 day moving average of $304.06. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $276.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.23 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $1.86 dividend. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 13,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.42, for a total transaction of $3,945,716.28. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,383,734.52. This represents a 74.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares in the company, valued at $8,169,430. This represents a 39.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $362.00 to $358.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $324.57.

Key Stores Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights McDonald’s restaurant margin dollars topping $4B in Q3 2025, arguing the company’s scale and value strategy can still expand margins despite inflation and a pressured consumer — a direct bullish signal for profit leverage. Does McDonald’s $4B Margin Milestone Signal Model Durability?
• Positive Sentiment: Reporting says McDonald’s plans over 8,000 new locations and major technology upgrades — if executed, that accelerates franchised development fees, systemwide sales growth and long-term comp growth. McDonald’s 2026 expansion plans: Over 8,000 new locations and major technology upgrades coming
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage of planned drive-thru and in-restaurant changes for 2026 suggests operational improvements (speed, order accuracy, upsell) that can lift throughput and margins at scale. 4 changes coming to McDonald’s drive-thrus in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s Disney Happy Meal promotion and holiday menu/availability stories are routine marketing/seasonal items that support short-term traffic but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. How long will Disney Happy Meal be available at McDonald’s?
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets covered McDonald’s being open on Christmas and customer-facing changes for 2026 — background consumer-facing news that maintains brand visibility but has limited near-term EPS impact. 10 changes coming to McDonald’s in 2026 that customers need to know
• Neutral Sentiment: A playful Dogecoin tweet calling out businesses that don’t accept DOGE is social-media noise rather than a catalyst for material payment adoption or revenue change. Dogecoin Account Wants You To Tag ‘Naughty’ Businesses That Won’t Take The Good Boy
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that a Minneapolis location locked doors to keep out individuals deemed a safety risk raise operational and reputational concerns in specific markets; localized safety issues can pressure sales and require extra store-level costs. McDonald’s locks doors to keep out individuals who present a risk in crime-ridden Minneapolis area
• Negative Sentiment: Lingering macro/near-term pressure: McDonald’s last quarterly report (Nov 5) showed a slight EPS and revenue miss, which remains a selling point for investors awaiting clearer margin/growth guidance.

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.