Farther Finance Advisors LLC Purchases 8,928 Shares of McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in McDonald's by 37.2% in Q4, acquiring 8,928 shares to own 32,924 shares valued at about $10.06 million.
• Several large institutions (Viking Global, Franklin Resources, Arrowstreet, Marshall Wace, Alyeska) also materially increased holdings, leaving institutional ownership at 70.29% of the stock.
• McDonald's recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue and is pushing growth initiatives—nationwide energy drinks and an expanded "under $3" value menu—while analysts sit on a mixed view with a consensus "Hold" and a $339.69 price target.

Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 37.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 32,924 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after acquiring an additional 8,928 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $10,063,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. 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 buying an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $1,336,155,000 after buying an additional 1,179,244 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $629,446,000 after buying an additional 1,090,849 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 927.5% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 827,547 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $251,483,000 after buying an additional 927,547 shares during the period. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $269,134,000 after buying an additional 783,416 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key McDonald's News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large beverage push — McDonald’s is rolling out energy drinks (including Red Bull Dragonberry), crafted sodas and “refreshers” nationwide to target younger, price‑sensitive customers and lift repeat visits and beverage margins. This strategic push is the clearest near‑term growth lever investors are citing. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Value menu expansion — Management is expanding an “under $3” value lineup to drive transactions and traffic, a defensive move to support comps while higher‑margin initiatives scale. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals and analyst coverage — McDonald’s beat last quarter’s EPS and revenue expectations (Feb. results) and several brokerages maintain constructive targets, supporting the stock’s upward bias. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing & cultural buzz — Promotional tie‑ins (K‑pop collab, viral CEO clips) and local guest‑experience pilots can drive short‑term traffic but are hard to quantify for long‑term earnings. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Operator initiatives — Independent franchisees (e.g., Kaufman Enterprises) are testing customer‑insight programs to boost service — positive for operations but limited near‑term market impact. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Commodity cost pressure — Cattle prices and broader meat inflation are at multiyear highs, which could compress margins if franchisees/management cannot fully pass costs through. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk — A lawsuit filed by former Black executives is headed to trial, adding headline/legal risk that could weigh on sentiment if outcomes or damages emerge. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale & competitive noise — A disclosed sale by the U.S. president under a 10b5‑1 plan, combined with month‑to‑date share weakness and rival menu moves (e.g., Chili’s targeting late‑night/value segments), is adding short‑term selling pressure. Read More. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total value of $806,182.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,578,800. This trade represents a 23.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,723,307. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Piper Sandler upped their price target on McDonald's from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup upped their price target on McDonald's from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $339.69.

McDonald's Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $306.57 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $217.92 billion, a PE ratio of 25.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald's Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $320.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $311.74.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.83 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is 62.26%.

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.

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