McDonald's Corporation $MCD Holdings Decreased by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Aptus Capital Advisors reduced its McDonald’s position by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, though the fund still held 89,970 shares worth about $27.5 million. Several other institutional investors increased their stakes, and institutions now own 70.29% of the stock.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on McDonald’s despite some target-price cuts. The stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy,” with 16 Buy ratings, 13 Hold ratings, and one Sell rating, and an average price target of $336.26.
• McDonald’s posted solid quarterly results and raised income appeal, beating EPS and revenue estimates for the latest quarter and announcing a $1.86 quarterly dividend. However, insider selling and recent headlines around AI drive-thru tests and safety scrutiny could weigh on sentiment.

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,970 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 5,486 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $27,498,000 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. Peterson Wealth Services boosted its position in McDonald's by 3,294.5% during the 4th quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 11,779 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $3,600,000 after purchasing an additional 11,432 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in McDonald's by 84.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 35,510 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $10,853,000 after purchasing an additional 16,252 shares during the period. Capital International Sarl boosted its position in McDonald's by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 64,256 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $19,639,000 after purchasing an additional 6,079 shares during the period. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its position in McDonald's by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 21,487 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 3,866 shares during the period. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in McDonald's during the 4th quarter worth $7,493,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank cut McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of McDonald's from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of McDonald's from $330.00 to $305.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Evercore set a $350.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $336.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 11,307 shares of company stock worth $3,262,622 over the last ninety days. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McDonald's Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of McDonald's stock opened at $284.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $202.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $289.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $306.75. McDonald's Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $271.85 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.McDonald's's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. McDonald's's payout ratio is 61.34%.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighted McDonald’s as a “rare mega-cap” with accelerating fundamentals, citing 3.8% global comparable sales growth, more than $9 billion in loyalty sales over 90 days, and 9.4% year-over-year revenue growth, which supports the bull case for the stock. McDonald’s Will Trade at This Price in 2028
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is testing AI-powered drive-thru ordering, and early results from a million orders appear promising; if rolled out successfully, this could improve efficiency and margins over time. McDonald’s Is Letting AI Take Your Orders Again. A Million Orders Later, the Results Look Promising.
• Positive Sentiment: Promotional activity tied to FIFA World Cup meals, collectible cups, and Squishmallows could help drive customer traffic and add some sales momentum. McDonald's FIFA World Cup meals with Squishmallows and 9 collectible cups are here
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and investor commentary remains generally supportive, with reports noting McDonald’s continues to attract attention as a defensive, widely followed stock. McDonald's Corporation (MCD) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by executive Joseph Erlinger may weigh on sentiment slightly, even though such sales do not necessarily reflect a change in business outlook. Joseph Erlinger Sells 5,252 Shares of McDonald's NYSE: MCD Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent coverage has also raised concerns about customer pushback on operational changes and workplace safety issues, which could create headline risk if they persist. Should McDonald’s AI Drive Thru Push and Safety Scrutiny Require Action From McDonald’s (MCD) Investors?

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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