McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Advocate Group LLC

Advocate Group LLC lowered its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 29,855 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,100 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up 1.5% of Advocate Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $9,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 828 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $253,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Invesco LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 6,805 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,080,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $133,000. Ascent Group LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 21,641 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $6,614,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JB Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. JB Capital LLC now owns 7,935 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $307.17 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $321.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $311.56.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company-wide value push — McDonald’s will debut a simplified McValue “Under $3” menu (10 items) and $4 breakfast deals later this month; expected to drive traffic, app engagement and defend market share in a price-sensitive consumer environment. McDonald’s Under $3 Menu will make its debut later this month
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and local product innovation — regional initiatives (e.g., McDonald’s Türkiye ‘Archie’) and youth-focused promotions (K‑Pop/Netflix tie-ins) can boost brand relevance and short‑term engagement, but sales/monetization impact is uncertain. McDonald’s Türkiye Introduces ‘Archie’ for Gamers
• Negative Sentiment: Margin risk from lower pricing — widespread coverage notes these are some of McDonald’s lowest prices in years; while that can lift visits, substituting higher‑margin items for sub‑$3 offers and $4 breakfasts could compress margin per transaction and pressure near‑term EPS. McDonald’s is rolling out some of its lowest prices in years

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $339.69.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total transaction of $8,764,097.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,638,066. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,291 shares in the company, valued at $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.