McDonald's Corporation $MCD Shares Bought by Swedbank AB

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its McDonald's stake by 1.0%, buying 10,943 shares to hold 1,104,511 shares worth about $337.6 million (roughly 0.16% of the company).
• Insiders have been net sellers: the CEO and CMO sold large blocks on Feb. 12 and insiders have sold 71,990 shares (~$23.8 million) in the past 90 days, with corporate insiders now owning 0.26%.
• Analyst and market sentiment is mixed: the stock's consensus rating is "Hold" (16 Buys, 14 Holds, 1 Sell) with an average target of $340.93, while shares recently hit a 52‑week low and are trading well below recent moving averages despite new menu/marketing initiatives.

Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,104,511 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after purchasing an additional 10,943 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned approximately 0.16% of McDonald's worth $337,572,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald's by 1.0% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,024,857 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $10,643,704,000 after acquiring an additional 196,505 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of McDonald's by 6.4% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,757,967 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,445,899,000 after acquiring an additional 286,284 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.5% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,422,014 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,343,501,000 after acquiring an additional 21,168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew 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 worth $1,336,155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,179,244 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of McDonald's from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of McDonald's from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $334.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of McDonald's from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $340.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total transaction of $8,706,883.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,587,915. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company rolled out six new specialty drinks (crafted sodas and "Refreshers") aimed at lifting average check and drive-thru/foot traffic — a strategic product push that could help accelerate sales and digital loyalty engagement. McDonald's is shaking up your soda run
• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other outlets highlight a broader menu and marketing overhaul that could reignite same-store sales — analysts see these initiatives as a catalyst for a post-earnings rebound if execution and comps hold. McDonald's likely to bounce as fast-food chain overhauls menus, marketing, UBS says
• Positive Sentiment: Brand/merch tie-ins (new McCafé lineup and branded beaded drink carriers) support marketing momentum and loyalty program activation — small revenue/engagement wins that help the customer experience story. McDonald’s Launches 6 Beaded Drink Carriers
• Neutral Sentiment: Company is phasing out self-serve soda fountains (timeline into the next several years) — this reduces free-refill complexity and enables crafted soda/service upsells but could slow service or annoy some customers during transition. Are Texas McDonald's getting rid of self-service soda machines? What to know
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term franchising policy developments (discussion around the American Franchise Act) could affect regulatory certainty for the franchise model — meaningful over time but unlikely to move this quarter. This One Federal Standard Is the ‘Lynchpin’ of Franchising
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn US same-store sales could miss consensus for Q1 (weather and cost pressure cited) — a miss would likely trigger downside in the stock and increase scrutiny on margin guidance. McDonald's Could Miss First-Quarter US Comparable Sales Consensus Views, UBS Says
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term sentiment has weakened: shares recently hit a 52‑week low and Erste Group downgraded MCD to Hold, citing slower profit growth — analyst caution and the technical weakness increase the risk of further downside if earnings disappoint. McDonald's Stock Hits 52-Week Low Ahead of Earnings

McDonald's Price Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $285.13 on Wednesday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $313.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.72. McDonald's Corporation has a 1-year low of $283.02 and a 1-year high of $341.75. The firm has a market cap of $202.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.43.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted 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. 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 analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.83 EPS. McDonald's's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that McDonald's Corporation will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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