Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Sells Off Shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

Posted by Logan Wallace on Feb 7th, 2026

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) recently sold shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD). In a filing disclosed on February 04th, the Senator disclosed that they had sold between $15,001 and $50,000 in McDonald’s stock on January 9th.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse also recently made the following trade(s):

Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Home Depot (NYSE:HD) on 1/9/2026.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) on 1/9/2026.
Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) on 1/9/2026.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Guardant Health (NASDAQ:GH) on 11/21/2025.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) on 11/21/2025.
Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of CocaCola (NYSE:KO) on 11/21/2025.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.2%

McDonald’s stock opened at $327.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $233.08 billion, a PE ratio of 27.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $328.06. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $310.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $307.25.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 63.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total value of $977,094.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider 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. The transaction 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 business’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $1,407,133. This trade represents a 58.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,008 shares of company stock valued at $9,895,452. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 29,382.3% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,676,339,000 after buying an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter worth about $1,412,069,000. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its position in McDonald’s by 171.7% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $913,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974,998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in McDonald’s by 96.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 4,032,676 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,188,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974,751 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

Positive Sentiment: Analysts and previews expect Q4 tailwinds from value meals, digital engagement and international growth, which could support comparable-sales gains and cushion margins. Zacks’ Q4 preview highlights these drivers even as it notes cost pressures. McDonald’s to Post Q4 Earnings: What’s in the Cards for the Stock?
Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat and other previews argue that strong execution, menu innovation and value promotions could reinforce McDonald’s defensive appeal into earnings—analysts have been raising some price targets (BTIG/UBS recently higher), signaling confidence ahead of results. McDonald’s Earnings Could Cement Its Defensive Appeal
Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s declared its quarterly cash dividend of $1.86/share (payable March 17; record/ex-dividend dates announced), supporting income-focused investor demand and reinforcing MCD’s blue?chip/dividend?king narrative. McDONALD’S ANNOUNCES QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND
Positive Sentiment: Consumer marketing and limited-time promotions (Valentine’s McNugget “caviar” kits, return of a popular Happy Meal toy) are boosting engagement and social buzz—small but helpful for traffic and brand momentum. McDonald’s is giving away free caviar kits…
Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains mixed: Mizuho raised its price target (to $325) but kept a neutral rating; overall analyst coverage averages to a “Hold.” That suggests limited immediate upside from ratings alone but keeps MCD squarely on the radar. McDonald’s Stock: Analyst Estimates & Ratings
Neutral Sentiment: Deeper analyst note coverage is focused on traffic mix (notably lower?income consumer trends), pricing power and promotional intensity beyond raw EPS/revenue—useful context but not an immediate catalyst until management guidance. Exploring Analyst Estimates for McDonald’s Q4 Earnings
Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion news (e.g., approval for a 24?hour drive?through in Tinley Park) shows continued unit-level growth potential but is unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. McDonalds OK’d to open 24-hour drive through in Tinley Park
Negative Sentiment: Brand/operational headwinds: a consumer piece highlighting perceived declines in several menu items and a NYT report that McDonald’s opted out of selling food/drink at some official World Cup Fan Fests could dent incremental sales/opportunity and raise short?term concern about international event exposure. World Cup 2026 – McDonald’s opts out… 7 McDonald’s Menu Items Fans Say Have Quietly Gone Downhill

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $358.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Oppenheimer raised McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $332.30.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on MCD

About Senator Whitehouse

Sheldon Whitehouse (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Rhode Island. He assumed office on January 3, 2007. His current term ends on January 3, 2031.

Whitehouse (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Rhode Island. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

McDonald’s Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.