Rep. C. Scott Franklin Acquires Shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

Representative C. Scott Franklin (Republican-Florida) recently bought shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD). In a filing disclosed on September 17th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in McDonald’s stock on August 26th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “FIDELITY ROTH IRA” account.

Representative C. Scott Franklin also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) on 8/26/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Accenture (NYSE:ACN) on 8/26/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) on 8/20/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) on 8/20/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) on 8/20/2026.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $248.69 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $264.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $283.86. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $247.65 and a 12-month high of $341.75. The company has a market capitalization of $175.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 572.06% and a net margin of 31.72%.The business’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.19 EPS. On average, analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.88 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $1.93 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $7.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 60.44%.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s raised its quarterly dividend 3.8% to $1.93 per share, or $7.72 annualized, marking 50 consecutive years of increases and officially placing the company among the Dividend Kings. The increase supports the stock’s income appeal, with a yield of approximately 3.1%. McDonald’s marks 50 consecutive years of dividend increases
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG initiated or reiterated a “Buy” rating, while Citigroup maintained a Buy rating despite reducing its price target from $345 to $310. The revised target still implies substantial potential upside from current levels. McDonald’s earns Buy rating from BTIG Research
• Positive Sentiment: One Wall Street analyst argues that the selloff has created a possible 45% recovery opportunity if McDonald’s can restore sales momentum and close its valuation gap with the broader market. McDonald’s potential 45% gain

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,983,997 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,997,789,000 after purchasing an additional 959,140 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,038,519 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,195,965,000 after purchasing an additional 76,090 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $2,890,438,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,560,037 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,699,314,000 after buying an additional 384,762 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,283,655 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,614,843,000 after buying an additional 40,506 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MCD. Argus dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. 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 research note on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup cut their target price on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners began coverage on McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $316.39.

About Representative Franklin

Scott Franklin (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Franklin (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Scott Franklin was born in Thomaston, Georgia. Franklin graduated from Lakeland High School. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1986 to 2000 and the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2000 to 2012.

Franklin earned a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy in 1986 and an M.B.A. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1994. Franklin’s career experience includes owning an insurance agency and working as a naval aviator with the U.S. Navy.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corporation is a global quick-service restaurant company that operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand. Its restaurants serve a menu that includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, breakfast items, desserts, salads, beverages and coffee. Offerings vary by market, and many locations provide drive-thru service, delivery and digital ordering through the McDonald’s mobile app.

The company operates through a heavily franchised business model, with restaurants owned and operated by independent franchisees, affiliates and the company itself.