Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Raises Stock Holdings in McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• Greenwood Capital raised its stake in McDonald's by 35% in Q4, buying an additional 5,545 shares to hold 21,401 shares valued at about $6.541 million.
• McDonald's beat last quarter's EPS ( $3.12 vs. $3.05) and reported revenue up 9.7% year‑over‑year, while management is pushing a nationwide beverage expansion (including energy drinks like Red Bull Dragonberry) and an expanded "under $3" value menu to drive traffic and margins.
• Several brokers have raised price targets recently, but the consensus remains an average rating of Hold with an average target price of $339.69.

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC increased its position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 35.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,401 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after buying an additional 5,545 shares during the quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $6,541,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald's by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,286 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $2,692,000 after buying an additional 1,649 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald's by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $563,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in McDonald's by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,017 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $589,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. United Bank increased its position in McDonald's by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 8,102 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $2,367,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in McDonald's by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,938 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $3,780,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $339.69.

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 at McDonald's

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total transaction of $806,182.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,578,800. The trade was a 23.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,723,307. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of MCD stock opened at $306.57 on Thursday. McDonald's Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The stock 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. The company's fifty day moving average price is $320.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $311.74.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 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 firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.83 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald's's 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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