4,534 McDonald's Corporation $MCD Shares Bought by Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc

Key Points

• Fragasso Financial Advisors nearly doubled its McDonald’s position in the third quarter, buying 4,534 additional shares to reach 9,092 shares valued at approximately $2.14 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 70.29% of MCD.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $295.94, although several firms recently lowered their targets. McDonald’s shares were trading near $236, well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.93 per share, equivalent to a 3.3% annual yield. However, growth faces challenges from weak promotional demand, competition in chicken and beverages, and franchisee resistance to the costly Restaurant NEXT upgrades.

Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc increased its position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 99.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,092 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after acquiring an additional 4,534 shares during the period. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc's holdings in McDonald's were worth $2,139,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.6% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 5,590 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,718,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Jacobsen Capital Management lifted its holdings in McDonald's by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Jacobsen Capital Management now owns 1,267 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 0.7% in the first quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC now owns 5,303 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID lifted its holdings in McDonald's by 11.0% in the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 372 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC lifted its position in McDonald's by 2.5% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s was identified as a relatively safe, steady stock, which may appeal to investors seeking lower volatility and defensive exposure. 3 Safe-and-Steady Stocks with Exciting Potential
• Positive Sentiment: The consensus price target is approximately $295.94, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. A former hedge fund manager also called the shares “moderately undervalued” and a potential buying opportunity. McDonald's Corporation Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $295.94 McDonald’s Stock Moderately Undervalued
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is emphasizing chicken and beverages as growth categories, but the strategy faces strong competition from Chick-fil-A and coffee chains, which are reportedly capturing more customer spending. McDonald's is leaning into chicken and drinks to grow
• Negative Sentiment: Restaurant NEXT requires U.S. drive-thru franchisees to invest roughly $800,000 per location in technology and operating upgrades. Franchisee resistance raises concerns about implementation costs, returns and near-term profitability. McDonald’s $800,000 overhaul hits resistance from within
• Negative Sentiment: Promotions and value meals have not yet generated strong demand, suggesting continued pressure on U.S. traffic, pricing power and margins. McDonald's Could Still Go Lower
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2026 EPS forecast to $12.87 from $12.92 and its FY2027 forecast to $13.80 from $13.96. Although the estimates remain close to consensus, the downward revisions reinforce concerns about earnings momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: A viral claim that McDonald’s lost a lawsuit involving Jamie Oliver lacks supporting evidence, limiting its immediate credibility as a stock catalyst. Posts claim McDonald lost lawsuit to Jamie Oliver

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. UBS Group set a $260.00 target price on McDonald's in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on McDonald's from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $282.00 to $270.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on McDonald's from $335.00 to $310.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of McDonald's from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $295.94.

McDonald's Price Performance

McDonald's stock traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $236.05. The stock had a trading volume of 1,754,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,220,852. The stock's fifty day moving average is $254.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.77. McDonald's Corporation has a 1-year low of $229.20 and a 1-year high of $341.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $167.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.44.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 572.06%. McDonald's's revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.19 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.85 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a $1.93 dividend. This represents a $7.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from McDonald's's previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. McDonald's's payout ratio is currently 60.44%.

McDonald's Profile

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.

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