McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 29.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 190,337 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 80,883 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $58,173,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,647,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,773,010,000 after buying an additional 316,638 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,024,857 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,643,704,000 after buying an additional 196,505 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 29,382.3% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,676,339,000 after acquiring an additional 5,718,087 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,757,967 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,445,899,000 after acquiring an additional 286,284 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total transaction of $854,106.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $307.81 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $341.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $321.59 and its 200-day moving average is $311.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. Analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MCD. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Value push and branded tie-ins aimed at boosting traffic: McDonald’s is launching $3-and-under menu items and $4 breakfast meal deals and is rolling out a Super Mario Happy Meal tie‑in ahead of the Super Mario Galaxy movie — moves intended to protect volumes as consumers stay price‑sensitive. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Fast sellout comeback: McDonald’s is bringing back a menu item that previously sold out in days — a re‑launch that can generate short‑term traffic and PR momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Brand collaborations expanding: McDonald’s will offer K‑pop “Demon Hunters” meals (global promotional tie) that can attract younger customers and boost limited‑time demand. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Automation tests continue: Trials of humanoid/service robots in Shanghai and other automation experiments draw attention for potential labor‑cost savings, but ROI and rollout timing remain uncertain. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotional cadence and Happy Meal logistics: Coverage on the timing/availability of the Super Mario Happy Meal and other limited offers helps explain near‑term traffic drivers but not guaranteed margin upside. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Pricing disparity and premium pricing scrutiny: Reports show McDonald’s “Big Arch” premium burger priced nearly $13 in one state and that the premium item produced only a modest traffic bump — raising questions about pricing power, franchise consistency, and the ability of premium SKUs to protect margins. Article Title Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Consumer/PR minutiae and nostalgia pieces: Multiple stories on discontinued items, regional menu oddities, and local rules (e.g., cash‑only reports) keep the brand in headlines but can also highlight inconsistencies that worry investors about uniform customer experience and pricing. Article Title

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.