RWA Wealth Partners LLC Raises Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

RWA Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 24.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 138,402 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,368 shares during the quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $42,059,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the third 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 grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,828,352 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,175,800,000 after acquiring an additional 272,139 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,828,420 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,901,595,000 after purchasing an additional 276,065 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth $2,780,712,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MCD. BTIG Research lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $337.57.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $333.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $237.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.52. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $315.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $309.60. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $283.47 and a 1-year high of $336.00.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for 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%. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large product launch and strong buzz — McDonald’s is bringing the Big Arch Burger to U.S. menus in early March after successful tests abroad; widespread social-media praise and press curiosity could drive incremental store visits and average-unit-sales (AUV) upside. McDonald’s to Bring Successful Big Arch Burger to U.S. Menus
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional upgrade — Erste Group upgraded MCD to Buy (from Hold) and said it expects stronger sales growth in 2026, signaling greater confidence in McDonald’s ability to sustain revenue momentum. Erste Group Sees McDonald’s Benefiting from Strong Financial Profile
• Positive Sentiment: Positive consumer stories and momentum pieces — multiple outlets are highlighting McDonald’s recent product wins and multi?year share gains, which support investor sentiment and retail interest. If You Invested $1K in McDonald’s Stock at the Beginning of 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target lift but limited upside — JPMorgan raised its price target to $325 and kept an Overweight rating, which is supportive, but the target sits below the current share price, implying the firm sees more limited upside from here. JPMorgan Raises MCD Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Regional promos and seasonal items — initiatives like McDonald’s India “Protein Week” and the Shamrock Shake seasonal push help engagement and localized comps, but are incremental rather than game-changing for global revenue. McDonald’s India Celebrates Protein Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-wide volatility — broader index weakness and sector moves can pressure shares despite company-specific positives; investors should watch macro sentiment for short-term swings. Stock Market Today: Dow Dives

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total transaction of $8,706,883.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,587,915. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 71,550 shares of company stock valued at $23,484,957 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.