McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Holdings Reduced by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP decreased its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,428,824 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 1,558,935 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned 1.04% of McDonald’s worth $2,257,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MCD. Night Squared LP acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $3,029,000. Diligent Investors LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 0.8% during the third quarter. Diligent Investors LLC now owns 4,701 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,429,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Vista Cima Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $642,000. von Borstel & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth about $758,000. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 39.3% in the third quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 27,131 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $8,245,000 after acquiring an additional 7,650 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MCD. Barclays raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total value of $862,220.84. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,733 shares in the company, valued at $2,867,393.22. This represents a 23.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 74,143 shares of company stock worth $24,517,724. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target to $385 and reiterated a Buy, citing McDonald’s multi?year growth strategy and brand strength — a clear analyst endorsement that supports upside to the stock. Tigress Financial Upgrades McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) Price Target, Highlights Multi-Year Growth Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Value menu push: McDonald’s is rolling out $3 value items and $4 breakfast deals in the U.S. starting in April to win back price?sensitive customers — a traffic?driving move that could boost visit frequency if franchisees and consumers adopt it. McDonald’s to launch new $3 value items in US starting April, WSJ reports
• Positive Sentiment: Digital/loyalty tailwinds: Management cites a large loyalty base and digital tools as drivers for higher visit frequency and better targeted promotions — structural levers for revenue per user and margin expansion over time. Can MCD’s Digital Ecosystem Turn Loyalty Into Higher Visit Frequency?
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and product noise: Viral moments (CEO burger video ? memes) and new product reviews (e.g., Big Arch) keep brand relevance and social buzz high but are unlikely to move fundamentals immediately. How McDonald’s CEO’s viral burger video turned memes into money
• Neutral Sentiment: Menu coverage / consumer perception: Media attention on affordability and menu mix helps narrative but the actual impact depends on execution and unit economics. McDonald’s Plans New $3 Menu, in Latest Bid to Win Customers With Better Deals
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Executive Joseph Erlinger disclosed a sale of 2,626 shares (~$862k). While routine insider sales aren’t always predictive, they can be interpreted as a mild negative signal by some investors. Insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Short?term dampener: Analysts and commentary note the stock is down since earnings (some profit?taking and valuation debates persist), which can cap near?term upside until fresh evidence of traffic/margin improvement appears. Why Is McDonald’s (MCD) Down 2.5% Since Last Earnings Report?

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $326.41 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $320.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $311.52. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $341.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.51.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.83 earnings per share. 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

McDonald’s Company 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.