McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 1.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 298,932 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 5,057 shares during the period. McDonald’s makes up about 1.0% of Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $80,804,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,890,438,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its position in McDonald’s by 30,979.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,596,340 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $806,917,000 after purchasing an additional 2,587,986 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 2,515,515 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP raised 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 buying an additional 1,974,998 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 49.9% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,104,337 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $948,779,000 after buying an additional 1,033,041 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD opened at $265.43 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $187.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.56, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $260.96 and a one year high of $341.75. The business’s fifty day moving average is $273.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $294.81.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 572.06%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. On average, analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 60.44%.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is taking direct aim at Starbucks with a menu strategy focused on afternoon traffic. Expanded beverage and snack offerings could help the company capture additional dayparts and improve sales momentum. McDonald’s Takes Direct Aim at Starbucks
• Positive Sentiment: New limited-time fall drinks and other menu items, along with the Hello Kitty and Godzilla Happy Meal promotion, could support customer visits and boost seasonal sales. McDonald’s Has 4 New Limited-Time Menu Items
• Positive Sentiment: An app that helps restaurants fill open shifts has reportedly reduced the cost of missed shifts at one McDonald’s location. If scalable, better staffing could improve service consistency, labor efficiency, and restaurant-level profitability. Missed shifts were costly to this McDonald’s
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish analyst cited a consensus price target substantially above the current trading level, arguing that MCD could offer significant upside after its recent decline. This is supportive sentiment, though targets remain estimates rather than catalysts. McDonald’s Keeps Cratering
• Neutral Sentiment: Xbox-related in-game rewards and other international or promotional menu stories increase brand engagement but are unlikely to materially change near-term earnings expectations. Xbox 25th Anniversary McDonald’s Rewards
• Neutral Sentiment: One valuation review described MCD as roughly fairly valued on a discounted-cash-flow basis, while market multiples suggested modest undervaluation. The assessment offers some downside support but acknowledges weaker recent U.S. sales growth. McDonald’s Stock Looks Fairly Valued
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary on McDonald’s latest earnings characterized the results and execution as underwhelming, reinforcing concerns about soft same-store sales and the effectiveness of recent initiatives. Jim Cramer Breaks Down McDonald’s Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Former Taco Bell executive Greg Creed criticized McDonald’s Red Bull beverage strategy, raising questions about product-market fit and whether the new drinks will meaningfully improve afternoon demand. Taco Bell’s Former Boss Criticizes McDonald’s Red Bull Drink

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Freedom Capital upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Cfra raised McDonald’s to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Evercore set a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $325.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the completion of 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. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total value of $1,493,248.64. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 8,348 shares of company stock worth $2,355,634 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Profile

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.