Assetmark Inc. Grows Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 7.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 48,812 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 3,277 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $14,834,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MCD. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 21.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,286 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,649 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% in the fourth 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 period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 11.4% in the second 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 last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 10.5% in the second quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 1,571 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $459,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Bank lifted its position in McDonald’s by 6.0% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 8,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,367,000 after buying an additional 459 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $337.04.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,169,430. This represents a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total transaction of $2,006,218.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,407,133. The trade was a 58.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 31,439 shares of company stock worth $9,772,464. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $327.58 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $313.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.34. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $335.67. The company has a market cap of $233.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and momentum — McDonald’s reported stronger-than-expected Q4 results (revenue ~ $7.0B, EPS beat, systemwide comps up ~5.7% with U.S. comps ~6.8%) and cited loyalty growth that helped drive sales and margins; this is the primary bullish catalyst supporting the stock. Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets — Several firms raised ratings/targets (Argus upgraded to Buy with a $380 target; Truist/BTIG raised targets toward ~$370), which can support further upside as sentiment shifts. Analyst Upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Buyback/dividend tailwind — Coverage notes that strong cash flow from Q4 and a healthy dividend yield support continued buybacks and payouts, a structural catalyst for EPS per-share gains over time. Buybacks & Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotions/brand buzz — Seasonal items and PR stunts (Shamrock Shake, McNugget kits) are driving traffic and media attention; helpful for short-term comps but likely temporary. Promotions
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — A disclosed sale by a senior U.S. executive (Form 4) may have added to near-term selling pressure as some investors lock in gains after the earnings pop. Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee execution risk — Reports of tension between corporate pricing/value pushes and some franchisees could complicate uniform execution and margins across markets, a potential headwind if disputes persist. Franchisee Tensions

About McDonald’s

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.