KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Boosts Stock Holdings in McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS increased its stake in McDonald's by 4.7% in Q4, buying 13,980 shares to hold 309,936 shares valued at about $94.73 million.
• McDonald’s beat Q4 estimates with $3.12 EPS (vs. $3.05) and $7.01B revenue (vs. $6.81B), its revenue rose 9.7% year-over-year, and the company pays a $1.86 quarterly dividend ($7.44 annualized, ~2.5% yield).
• Insider selling accelerated recently: the CEO sold 26,276 shares and the CMO 4,692, with insiders disposing of 71,657 shares (~$23.7M) over the last three months, leaving insiders owning about 0.26% of the company.

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS increased its position in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 309,936 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 13,980 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS's holdings in McDonald's were worth $94,726,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. FORM Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth about $1,213,000. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. grew its position in McDonald's by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 7,131 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $2,179,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the period. Proathlete Wealth Management LLC grew its position in McDonald's by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Proathlete Wealth Management LLC now owns 496 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $152,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Clarity Financial LLC acquired a new position in McDonald's during the fourth quarter worth about $200,000. Finally, CPC Advisors LLC grew its position in McDonald's by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. CPC Advisors LLC now owns 2,430 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $743,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald's Price Performance

MCD stock opened at $301.55 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $318.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $311.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $214.35 billion, a PE ratio of 25.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald's Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald's Corporation will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were given a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus upgraded shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of McDonald's from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $339.34.

Trending Headlines about McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is launching a refreshed value menu with $3 and sub-$3 items intended to drive traffic and frequency; Wall Street commentary (UBS/MarketWatch) says the move reinforces McDonald’s value advantage and could boost transactions. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets detail what’s on the expanded value lineup, which should support low-end traffic and share gains if it converts light spenders. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyBanc trimmed its price target to $345 but kept an Overweight rating, signaling confidence in the long-term thesis while acknowledging 2026 volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains around a “Hold/Average” stance heading into earnings; investors will watch same-store-sales, margin commentary and promotion cadence. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings guides and previews are circulating—expect single-digit EPS growth forecasts and heavy analyst focus on promotions vs. margin trade-offs. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp and other outlets have lowered short-term expectations for MCD, flagging a more volatile 2026 outlook that pressures the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies trimmed sales and same-store sales forecasts amid signs of softer March demand, warning Q1 profit may come in slightly below estimates—creates downside risk to guidance and consensus. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage (Barron's, Yahoo) highlights the risk of diminishing returns from heavy promotions: value can drive traffic but may compress margins if sustained. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro warnings (Goldman Sachs) about near-term consumer weakness add to caution that promotions may be necessary but costly. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total value of $8,764,097.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,638,066. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,200. This represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,723,307 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

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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