Composition Wealth LLC Sells 25,040 Shares of McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• Composition Wealth LLC cut its stake in McDonald's by 38.9% in Q4, selling 25,040 shares and retaining 39,392 shares worth $12,039,000 per its latest SEC filing.
• Corporate insiders have been net sellers recently — insiders sold a total of 71,990 shares valued at about $23.8 million over the last three months, including notable sales by CMO Edith Morgan Flatley and Joseph M. Erlinger.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: MarketBeat shows a consensus Hold with an average price target of $340.93, though several firms have raised targets to $370–$380 and ratings split (16 Buys, 15 Holds, 1 Sell).

Composition Wealth LLC reduced its stake in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 38.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,392 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 25,040 shares during the period. Composition Wealth LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $12,039,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its stake in 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 worth $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in McDonald's by 36.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,336,155,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,244 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in McDonald's by 111.3% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,071,296 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $629,446,000 after purchasing an additional 1,090,849 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in McDonald's by 927.5% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 827,547 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $251,483,000 after purchasing an additional 927,547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in McDonald's by 766.5% during the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 885,629 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $269,134,000 after purchasing an additional 783,416 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial upped their target price on McDonald's from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Argus upgraded McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays upped their target price on McDonald's from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on McDonald's from $354.00 to $345.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $340.93.

Insider Activity at McDonald's

In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total value of $854,106.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,755,699.50. The trade was a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113 over the last three months. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More McDonald's News

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s rolled out an all‑purple “Grimace” menu and relaunched the viral Grimace milkshake — a pop‑culture promotion expected to drive short‑term foot traffic and social‑media buzz, which can lift same‑store sales and AUVs. McDonald’s unveils purple Grimace menu featuring viral milkshake comeback
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is pushing a new lineup of six hand‑crafted drinks (boba, “dirty” sodas and themed accessories). Management’s beverage push targets a high‑margin category and supports the broader thesis that drinks can be a multi‑billion growth engine for the chain. McDonald’s drops 6 new drinks with unusual accessories
• Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion news — a new McDonald’s site planned in Rockford — signals steady franchise development but is unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. New McDonald’s to be built on W. Riverside in Rockford
• Negative Sentiment: A widely circulated idea of a $20 “unlimited fries” subscription was fact‑checked and found to be inaccurate — removing a potential recurring‑revenue catalyst investors may have hoped for. Fact check: Is McDonald’s launching $20 subscription with unlimited fries?
• Negative Sentiment: The Street reports McDonald’s is adjusting menu “protein hacks” as beef prices rise — higher commodity costs pose a margin risk even as the company seeks menu workarounds. McDonald’s reveals protein hacks as beef prices rise
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2027 EPS estimate and downgraded MCD to a “Hold,” a mild analyst headwind that can weigh on sentiment. McDonald's NYSE: MCD Cut to "Hold" at Erste Group Bank

McDonald's Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $286.83 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $314.29 and a 200-day moving average of $311.73. The company has a market capitalization of $203.89 billion, a PE ratio of 24.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.43. McDonald's Corporation has a 52-week low of $283.47 and a 52-week high of $341.75.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that McDonald's Corporation will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is 62.26%.

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.

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