McDonald's Corporation $MCD Shares Bought by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its McDonald's stake by 2.7% in Q4, buying 4,621 shares to hold 173,949 shares valued at about $53.16 million.
• McDonald's beat quarterly estimates with $3.12 EPS versus $3.05 and $7.01 billion in revenue (up 9.7% year‑over‑year), and it pays a $1.86 quarterly dividend ($7.44 annual, ~2.5% yield).
• Insiders have been net sellers—CEO Christopher Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares and insiders sold 71,990 shares (~$23.8M) over three months—while institutional investors own about 70.29% and analysts give a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target near $341.

Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 173,949 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 4,621 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $53,164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald's by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,351,127 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $22,112,675,000 after purchasing an additional 703,458 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in McDonald's by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,024,857 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $10,643,704,000 after purchasing an additional 196,505 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in McDonald's by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,757,967 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,445,899,000 after purchasing an additional 286,284 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald's by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,422,014 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,343,501,000 after purchasing an additional 21,168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald's by 36.6% during the 3rd 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

McDonald's Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $299.62 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $317.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.94. McDonald's Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $212.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted 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 company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.83 earnings per share. McDonald's's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that McDonald's Corporation will post 13.22 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were given a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MCD shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus raised shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup boosted their price target 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.93.

McDonald's News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company rolled out a nationwide value menu and sub‑$3 items intended to drive traffic and simplify promotions — a potentially material near‑term top‑line boost. McDonald’s new value menu debuts today
• Positive Sentiment: Menu revamp (≈17 items) and "protein" badges aim to keep menu relevant amid changing consumer trends (GLP‑1 impact), supporting average check and guest counts. McDonald’s revamps menu across 17 items
• Positive Sentiment: New promotional tie‑ins (Stranger Things Happy Meals) and refreshed beverages are low‑cost demand drivers that help maintain brand relevance and incremental sales. McDonald’s introducing new ‘Stranger Things’ Happy Meal
• Positive Sentiment: Franchise expansion: McDonald’s opened more U.S. restaurants in 2025 than any year since 2002 — supports long‑term unit growth and franchise economics. McDonald's added a lot of new U.S. restaurants in 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Some models still point to upside (24/7 Wall St. $341 PT) but flag "execution cracks" — supportive for medium‑term targets but mixed for near‑term momentum. McDonald’s Price Target Hits $341—But Cracks Are Starting to Show
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC sees Q1 roughly in line with consensus, reducing the chance of a major near‑term earnings surprise. McDonald's Seen Posting Largely In-Line First-Quarter Results, RBC Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Options flow and commentary show retail traders selling premium via spreads — market positioning implies limited downside expectations and muted volatility. Selling A Spread On McDonald's Stock Could Deliver A Big Mac-Sized Return
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: Joseph M. Erlinger (President, McDonald’s USA) sold 333 shares (~$100.8k) — small in scale but visible to investors and sometimes interpreted as a mild negative signal. Insider Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Trademark/IP risk: USPTO has challenged McDonald’s attempt to reclaim “Extra Value Meal” — losing exclusive control over a core promotional term could complicate branding. McDonald's fights to win back ‘Extra Value Meal' moniker
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/reputational watch: equality watchdog says work with McDonald’s on sexual‑harassment prevention is "ongoing," keeping reputational risk on investors' radars. Equality watchdog update

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares in the company, valued at $763,567.39. This trade represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 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 company insiders.

McDonald's 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.