Kentucky Retirement Systems Buys 37,269 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Kentucky Retirement Systems boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 83.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 82,151 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 37,269 shares during the period. McDonald’s makes up about 0.9% of Kentucky Retirement Systems’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in McDonald’s were worth $25,532,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $2,890,438,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 30,979.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,596,340 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $806,917,000 after buying an additional 2,587,986 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 9,867.5% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,541,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $776,608,000 after buying an additional 2,515,515 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 171.7% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $913,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974,998 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 49.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,033,041 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s continues to offer an attractive income profile after affirming its quarterly dividend of $1.86 per share, payable Sept. 16 to shareholders of record Sept. 1. The company has increased its dividend for approximately 50 consecutive years. McDonald’s Faces Digital And Sales Concerns, Is The Stock Fully Valued?
• Positive Sentiment: Despite the recent weakness, Wall Street’s average price targets reportedly remain well above the current market price, suggesting potential upside if sales stabilize and the company executes on its strategy. McDonald’s, Oracle, and Uber Are Near 52-Week Lows
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is scheduled to report earnings on Aug. 4. Analysts expect full-year EPS of about $12.86, while recent coverage suggests earnings growth remains possible but does not identify a strong setup for a near-term earnings beat. McDonald’s Earnings Expected to Grow
• Negative Sentiment: RBC expects McDonald’s same-store-sales growth to slow in the second and third quarters, raising concerns about consumer demand and the company’s ability to sustain traffic and pricing momentum. McDonald’s Same-Store-Sales Growth Seen Slowing
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank trimmed its FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.92 from $12.98 and its FY2027 estimate to $14.15 from $14.19, maintaining a “Hold” rating. UBS has also issued a pessimistic forecast, adding to cautious sentiment. UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for McDonald’s
• Negative Sentiment: Rising beef prices are weighing on investor sentiment and could pressure restaurant margins. Additional concerns include digital-sales execution and whether McDonald’s valuation is justified given its weaker recent performance. McDonald’s Fell as Rising Beef Prices Weighed on Sentiment

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 16th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $365.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Evercore set a $320.00 price target on McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $333.32.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,348 shares of company stock worth $2,355,634. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $271.34 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.79 billion, a PE ratio of 22.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $260.96 and a 1-year high of $341.75. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $275.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $298.15.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.86 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.34%.

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.