Atwater Malick LLC Buys 2,491 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Atwater Malick LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 6.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 41,789 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,491 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s comprises about 3.7% of Atwater Malick LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Atwater Malick LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $12,699,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. raised its position in McDonald’s by 142.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 13,134 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.42, for a total transaction of $3,945,716.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,383,734.52. This represents a 74.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on MCD to $372 and kept an “overweight” rating, signaling sizable upside vs. current levels and providing analyst-driven support for the stock. Barclays raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is re-launching popular kids promotions (Pokémon Happy Meals and collectible Pokémon cards) and rolling out new menu items globally for 2026 — moves that typically boost traffic, AUVs and brand engagement. Pokémon Happy Meal returns
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst write-ups group McDonald’s with other favored restaurant names (Chipotle, Dutch Bros), reinforcing consensus that the sector — and MCD’s franchised, cash-generative model — remains attractive to investors. Analysts favor restaurants
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage in dividend/portfolio roundups (e.g., The Motley Fool list) reminds investors of MCD’s defensive income characteristics, but these pieces are less likely to move price quickly. Dividend stock roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Local opposition surfaced urging a council to block 24/7 openings at a location — a localized regulatory/community issue that could affect operations in specific markets but is unlikely to change company-wide fundamentals. Council urged to stop 24/7 openings
• Negative Sentiment: A federal class-action lawsuit alleges the McRib patty contains non-rib pork parts (heart, tripe, stomach) and that customers are misled — a reputational and litigation risk that could spur short-term negative sentiment, potential legal costs or settlements if claims advance. McDonald’s says the suit “distorts the facts.” Lawsuit claims McRib contains non-rib pork

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $304.06 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $307.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $304.63. The stock has a market cap of $216.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.94, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $276.53 and a 12-month 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 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.McDonald’s’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.23 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. 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%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MCD. Mizuho upgraded McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “overweight” rating and set a $372.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $328.24.

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.