Boston Trust Walden Corp decreased its position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 51,695 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 4,286 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp's holdings in McDonald's were worth $15,800,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald's by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,647,669 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $21,773,010,000 after acquiring an additional 316,638 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in McDonald's by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,024,857 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $10,643,704,000 after acquiring an additional 196,505 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in McDonald's by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,757,967 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,445,899,000 after acquiring an additional 286,284 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald's by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,422,014 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,343,501,000 after acquiring an additional 21,168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald's by 36.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,336,155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,179,244 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $340.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Oppenheimer raised shares of McDonald's from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $355.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $339.34.
Get Our Latest Analysis on McDonald's
McDonald's News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald's this week:
- Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s revamps 17 menu items to add higher‑protein options in response to rising GLP‑1 use and shifting consumer preferences — a product innovation that could help sustain guest counts and average checks if it resonates. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: RBC expects McDonald’s Q1 results to be largely in‑line with Street estimates — suggests no major surprise but limits upside from earnings beats. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s launched a refreshed value offering (items under $3, $3 deals and $4 bundles) aimed at driving frequency — positive for traffic but ambiguous for margins depending on redemption and mix. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Minor price‑target adjustment from Morgan Stanley (small cut to $334) and an average broker rating of "Hold" — indicates cautious but not uniformly bearish analyst stance. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Jefferies trimmed sales/same‑store sales forecasts citing softer March trends and now expects Q1 profit slightly below estimates — raises short‑term downside risk to growth/earnings. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc cut its target to $345 and flagged a volatile 2026 outlook — signals elevated uncertainty around demand and margin trajectory. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Macro headwinds: Goldman Sachs warned of a potentially challenging period for U.S. consumers — higher sensitivity to promotions and value could persist, pressuring pricing power and margins. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts and coverage notes warn of diminishing returns from heavy promotions (value menu and bundles) and potential margin compression — the tradeoff between driving traffic and protecting margins is the main near‑term risk. Article Title
McDonald's Trading Down 0.6%
McDonald's stock opened at $300.18 on Thursday. McDonald's Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75. The company has a market cap of $213.37 billion, a PE ratio of 25.12, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53. The company's 50-day moving average is $318.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.87.
McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. The company's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that McDonald's Corporation will post 13.22 EPS for the current year.
McDonald's Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.
Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's
In other McDonald's news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total transaction of $8,706,883.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,587,915. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares in the company, valued at approximately $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% 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 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,723,307. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
McDonald's Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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