Conning Inc. Reduces Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Conning Inc. decreased its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 3.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 107,858 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 4,205 shares during the quarter. Conning Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $32,777,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. GFG Capital LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,169,430. This represents a 39.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total transaction of $977,094.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,861,832.16. This trade represents a 34.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 45,142 shares of company stock valued at $13,841,169 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 31st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and set a $325.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $372.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $328.88.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Canada price-lock: McDonald’s Canada announced a one‑year $5 meal price lock intended to drive traffic and goodwill in a key market (may pressure short‑term margin but supports comp sales). McDonald’s Canada price lock
• Positive Sentiment: Promotions & menu tailwinds: Return of high‑profile promotions (Pokémon Happy Meal), a large new burger and a permanent menu item after decades are likely to boost traffic and drive incremental sales in the near term. Pokémon Happy Meal
• Positive Sentiment: Operational upgrades: Reports detail major changes to drive‑thru lanes and a company push to use AI across services/operations — potential medium‑term cost savings and capacity gains that investors tend to reward. Drive-thru changes
• Positive Sentiment: Sales momentum noted: Coverage highlights a recent 2.4% sales jump after reviving an “old‑school” strategy, supporting the thesis that merchandising and local tactics can lift comps. Sales jump article
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview: Analysts expect single‑digit bottom‑line growth in the upcoming quarter — a modest outlook that leaves room for either a market boost on a beat or further weakness on a miss. Earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Franchise/industry items: New leadership at Armada’s McDonald’s unit and country‑specific menu features (France/Italy/Portugal) matter for execution but are not immediate corporate results drivers. Armada appointments
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Joseph M. Erlinger (President, International Oper.) sold 2,626 shares (~$805k) and trimmed his stake ~33% — a disclosure that can weaken sentiment if interpreted as reduced insider conviction. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk: McRib-related class‑action fraud suit alleges product misrepresentation — potential reputational and legal costs if it escalates. McRib lawsuit

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $307.82 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $219.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $308.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $305.30. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $276.53 and a fifty-two 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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The company had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $1.86 dividend. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis 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%.

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.