State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Grows Stock Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 249,780 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 8,285 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $75,906,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position 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 in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $563,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 11.4% during the second 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 last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.2% in the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 590,295 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $172,006,000 after purchasing an additional 12,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.9% in the second quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 6,479 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,893,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and momentum — McDonald’s reported stronger-than-expected Q4 results (revenue ~ $7.0B, EPS beat, systemwide comps up ~5.7% with U.S. comps ~6.8%) and cited loyalty growth that helped drive sales and margins; this is the primary bullish catalyst supporting the stock. Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets — Several firms raised ratings/targets (Argus upgraded to Buy with a $380 target; Truist/BTIG raised targets toward ~$370), which can support further upside as sentiment shifts. Analyst Upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Buyback/dividend tailwind — Coverage notes that strong cash flow from Q4 and a healthy dividend yield support continued buybacks and payouts, a structural catalyst for EPS per-share gains over time. Buybacks & Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotions/brand buzz — Seasonal items and PR stunts (Shamrock Shake, McNugget kits) are driving traffic and media attention; helpful for short-term comps but likely temporary. Promotions
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — A disclosed sale by a senior U.S. executive (Form 4) may have added to near-term selling pressure as some investors lock in gains after the earnings pop. Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee execution risk — Reports of tension between corporate pricing/value pushes and some franchisees could complicate uniform execution and margins across markets, a potential headwind if disputes persist. Franchisee Tensions

McDonald’s Stock Down 1.4%

NYSE MCD opened at $327.58 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $283.47 and a 52-week high of $335.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $313.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $233.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on MCD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $337.04.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total transaction of $854,106.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 5,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. The trade was a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 31,439 shares of company stock worth $9,772,464 in the last ninety days. 0.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.