Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Increases Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC increased its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 11.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,657 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,201 shares during the quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $6,277,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Nova Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the first quarter worth $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. boosted its stake 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 period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, GFG Capital LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Mizuho raised shares of McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $324.57.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock opened at $315.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $224.93 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $276.53 and a one year high of $326.32. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $307.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $303.93.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its 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 business had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.23 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business 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. 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%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s raised its quarterly dividend to $1.86 (annualized $7.44), signaling continued free?cash?flow strength and supporting the stock’s income appeal. (Dividend disclosure appeared in recent MarketBeat reporting.)
• Positive Sentiment: Holiday marketing is driving strong attention — the Grinch Meal promotion generated broad press and consumer buzz, which can boost seasonal traffic and brand engagement. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s revived its digital MONOPOLY promotion to push app downloads, reinforce value messaging and support U.S. traffic for Q4 — a digital-first campaign that can improve repeat visits and AUVs. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and institutional activity remains mixed: several analysts reaffirm or tweak targets around the low?to?mid $300s, and institutional holdings changed modestly — supports a “hold” consensus but not a clear re?rating catalyst. (Coverage summarized in recent market reports.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Political/insider transaction news: a report noted Representative Julie Johnson sold shares of McDonald’s; such public selling can draw short?term attention but doesn’t change fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Desiree Ralls?Morrison sold 2,486 shares (~$795k at $320) and reduced her holdings ~28% — insider selling can be perceived negatively by investors, especially when clustered with other sales. SEC filing: Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational hit: McDonald’s pulled an AI Christmas ad after backlash in some markets, which generated negative headlines and potential short?term brand distraction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader industry pressure: analysts note U.S. restaurants face softer demand, higher value sensitivity and cost pressures — a tougher consumer backdrop could cap same?store sales and margin upside. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total value of $2,006,218.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,407,133. The trade was a 58.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090. 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.