Mechanics Bank Trust Department Trims Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Mechanics Bank Trust Department decreased its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 8.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,212 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,502 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up 1.1% of Mechanics Bank Trust Department’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Mechanics Bank Trust Department’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $7,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nova Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. raised its stake in McDonald’s by 142.9% during the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, GFG Capital LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,005,760. The trade was a 28.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 26,353 shares in the company, valued at $8,169,430. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $303.26 on Monday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $276.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $307.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $304.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The company’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.23 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on MCD. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $362.00 to $358.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $324.57.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Overview of Big Mac pricing through decades — contextual story on menu pricing and inflation; useful for investor perspective on price sensitivity and consumer sentiment but not an immediate earnings driver. Here’s how much a McDonald’s Big Mac cost the decade you were born
• Neutral Sentiment: Article flags McDonald’s among restaurant stocks mentioned as potentially oversold with attractive dividends — may draw value/income buyers over time but doesn’t create immediate upside. 2 Oversold Restaurant Stocks Offering Strong Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Profile piece on what a public figure eats at McDonald’s — pop-culture coverage that keeps the brand visible but has negligible direct financial impact. Donald Trump’s McDonald’s Diet Hasn’t Changed
• Negative Sentiment: Class-action lawsuit alleges the McRib contains no actual rib meat — legal and reputational risk that could trigger consumer backlash, regulatory scrutiny, and modest litigation costs if the case expands; investors may view this as a reason for short-term outflows or increased caution. Mc-What? McDonald’s Sued Over Claims Its McRib Has No Actual Rib Meat
• Negative Sentiment: Customer caught on camera attacking an employee at a McDonald’s location — localized incident that raises short-term reputational concerns around safety and in-store experience; unlikely to meaningfully affect corporate fundamentals but can amplify negative headlines. McDonald’s customer caught on camera launching flying kick at employee

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.