Welch & Forbes LLC Sells 2,417 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Welch & Forbes LLC decreased its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 303,989 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,417 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up 1.2% of Welch & Forbes LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $94,477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MCD. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,286 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,649 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $563,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,017 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $589,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. United Bank lifted its position in McDonald’s by 6.0% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 8,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,367,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in McDonald’s by 2.5% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,938 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,780,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on MCD. Barclays reduced their price target on McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price objective on McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore set a $350.00 price objective on McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $325.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $334.96.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,681 shares of company stock worth $2,456,440. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is leaning into beverages with a new custom drink push, including a Dirty Dr. Pepper-style offering, which could help drive traffic and lift average ticket sizes as chains compete for drink sales. McDonald’s Dirty Dr. Pepper Leads Its New Custom Drink Push
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is also using promotions and limited-time offers, including free fries for National French Fry Day and a BT21 Happy Meal rollout, to support customer engagement and near-term sales momentum. Free fries article BT21 Happy Meals article
• Positive Sentiment: Some recent commentary suggests McDonald’s remains a defensible consumer name, with analysts and market writers highlighting its cash generation, brand strength, and potential to benefit from event-driven marketing around the FIFA World Cup. FIFA World Cup growth strategy article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle pieces about ordering hacks, retro campaigns, and menu combinations are generating buzz, but these appear more like brand-interest stories than material stock drivers. Filet-O-Fish and Snack Wrap article Ordering hack article Vinyl record campaign article
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s has also been the subject of mixed third-party coverage comparing it with other consumer names and discussing macro risks, but these articles do not signal a clear company-specific catalyst on their own. McDonald’s or Pfizer article Index exit and oil shock article
• Negative Sentiment: A Deutsche Bank note says McDonald’s U.S. comparable sales likely hit a new low in the second quarter, reinforcing worries that traffic and same-store sales may be weakening. US sales likely hit new low article
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market pieces also note that McDonald’s has been registering bigger daily declines than the broader market, suggesting investors remain cautious heading into upcoming sales and earnings-related updates. Registers a bigger fall than the market article

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock traded down $1.56 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $274.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,978,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,490,551. The company has a market cap of $195.34 billion, a PE ratio of 22.67, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $278.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $301.85. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $264.53 and a 12-month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.91 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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