Blue Trust Inc. Lowers Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Blue Trust Inc. decreased its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 16.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,061 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,617 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $4,059,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $2,890,438,000. J. Stern & Co. LLP boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 9,867.5% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,541,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $776,608,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515,515 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 171.7% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 36.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,336,155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,179,244 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 111.3% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,071,296 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $629,446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,090,849 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MCD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Erste Group Bank lowered McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings cut McDonald’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $355.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $336.26.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s unveiled FIFA World Cup 26 meals, collectible cups, and Squishmallows Happy Meal promotions, which could boost customer traffic and sales through limited-time excitement and family-friendly marketing. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s Fried Apple Pie return and other menu nostalgia pieces may help drive short-term consumer interest and incremental restaurant visits. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s launched “McDonald’s NEXT,” a company-wide modernization program focused on automation, digital integration, and restaurant redesign, which could improve efficiency and the customer experience over time. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s China partnered with Syngenta Group China and McCain on a more sustainable potato supply chain, a move that may support ingredient quality, resilience, and long-term cost control for fries. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage about the cheapest McDonald’s burger in 2026 is mainly consumer-interest content, with limited near-term impact on the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles highlighting McDonald’s around the 52-week low and discussing buy/sell/hold views reflect valuation debate rather than a fresh fundamental catalyst. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 11,307 shares of company stock valued at $3,262,622 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $273.96 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $194.65 billion, a PE ratio of 22.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $284.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $305.11. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $270.08 and a 1-year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.34%.

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.