Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Decreases Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC decreased its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 30.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 51,582 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 22,761 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $15,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WD Rutherford LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $991,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in McDonald’s by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $736,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $538,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 0.3% in the third quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,352,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.1% during the third quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $334.55 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $283.47 and a one year high of $335.67. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $314.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $309.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $238.25 billion, a PE ratio of 28.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors 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 2.2%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is rolling out the national Big Arch burger in early March — a high-visibility product launch that could boost store traffic and temporary check increases if it resonates with consumers. McDonald’s Big Arch burger is headed to US menus in early March — here’s what to know
• Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and coverage highlight McDonald’s expanding focus on larger, premium sandwiches and upsell items — a menu trend that supports higher average checks and margin expansion. McDonald’s goes big on a growing menu trend
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group upgraded MCD to Buy and expects stronger sales growth for 2026 (included in lists of low-volatility dividend stocks), giving investors a catalyst and fresh conviction around earnings upside. Erste Group Sees McDonald’s (MCD) Benefiting from Strong Financial Profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational tweak: McDonald’s updated its cash-rounding rules as pennies disappear — a small checkout/transaction change that could slightly simplify cash handling but has limited earnings impact. McDonald’s updates its cash rules as pennies vanish – how this might change your checkout routine
• Neutral Sentiment: Feature story on packaging evolution — useful for brand/ESG narrative but unlikely to move near-term fundamentals. How McDonald’s packaging has changed over the decades
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness (Dow down, software weakness) could apply short-term downward pressure on MCD despite company-specific positives if risk-off sentiment deepens. Stock Market Today: Dow Dives, Cybersecurity Plays Hit As Software Sinks; Gold Stocks Shine (Live Coverage)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen investment 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $337.04.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total value of $8,706,883.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,587,915. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,550 shares of company stock worth $23,484,957. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.