McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Insider Sells $862,220.84 in Stock

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) insider Joseph Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total value of $862,220.84. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,867,393.22. The trade was a 23.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE MCD traded down $2.80 on Wednesday, reaching $325.14. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,158,730 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,361,510. McDonald’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $283.47 and a twelve month high of $341.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $319.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.25. The stock has a market cap of $230.98 billion, a PE ratio of 27.21, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.51.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Digital/loyalty traction: McDonald’s loyalty platform is nearing ~210M active users and the company is targeting 250M members by 2027 — stronger digital engagement is driving higher visit frequency and allows targeted promotions and higher-margin mix over time. Can MCD’s Digital Ecosystem Turn Loyalty Into Higher Visit Frequency?
• Positive Sentiment: Reinforcing digital strategy: analysts highlight the 210M-user milestone as a structural growth lever — loyalty data can improve marketing ROI, menu personalization and upsell opportunities that support long-term sales and margins. Will McDonald’s 210M Loyalty Users Fuel Long-Term Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Product/brand marketing initiatives continue to support top-line: new spring menu items and branded tie-ins (Cadbury, Crocs Happy Meal) are generating consumer buzz and short-term traffic boosts, but are unlikely to change margins materially. McDonald’s just unveiled its new spring menu — Cadbury products will send fans wild McDonald’s rolls out Crocs Happy Meal
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and analyst commentary: coverage questioning whether recent gains fully reflect fundamentals keeps some investors cautious; this is background noise versus immediate operational news. Is McDonald’s (MCD) Share Price Justified After Recent Gains And Mixed Valuation Signals
• Negative Sentiment: New value push could pressure margins: WSJ reports McDonald’s will introduce a lower-priced value menu ($3 or less) and new $4 breakfast meal deals to reclaim a “value” image — investors may be selling on concerns that deeper discounting will boost traffic but squeeze operating margins and profit per customer. McDonald’s Preps New Discounts to Feed Budget-Minded Diners for $3 or Less
• Neutral Sentiment: Pop-culture and brand stories (celebrity orders, product origin pieces) keep brand relevance high but are unlikely to move the stock materially. Examples: AOL and MSN lifestyle/features. “Love Island” Star Olandria Carthen Reveals Her Go-To McDonald’s Order

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 162.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 95.7% during the 4th quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter worth $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $339.69.

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.