Night Squared LP Takes $3.03 Million Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Night Squared LP purchased a new position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 9,969 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $3,029,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 162.5% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth $29,000. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth $29,000. Davis Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Miller Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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?

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,587,915. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 74,143 shares of company stock valued at $24,517,724 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.8%

McDonald’s stock opened at $326.41 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $320.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.52. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $341.75. The stock has a market cap of $231.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.31, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.51.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.83 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $339.69.

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.