McDonald's Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT

Key Points

• Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT cut its stake in McDonald’s by 30.1% in Q4, selling 3,940 shares and leaving 9,139 shares valued at about $2.79 million.
• Analysts are mixed: several firms (Jefferies, Argus, Barclays, Oppenheimer) raised ratings or price targets, but the MarketBeat consensus remains an average "Hold" with a $340.93 price target.
• Operational and insider developments could affect near‑term performance — McDonald’s is launching new crafted drinks and phasing out self‑serve soda (with some rollout risks for hand‑breaded chicken), while insiders (including the CEO and CMO) have sold large blocks totaling ~71,990 shares (~$23.8M) in the past 90 days.

Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT lessened its holdings in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 30.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,139 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 3,940 shares during the period. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT's holdings in McDonald's were worth $2,793,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position 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 buying an additional 703,458 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 196,505 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $1,445,899,000 after acquiring an additional 286,284 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 0.5% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,422,014 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,343,501,000 after purchasing an additional 21,168 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,179,244 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Oppenheimer upgraded 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of McDonald's from $335.00 to $334.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on McDonald's from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a 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 objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of McDonald's from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald's currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $340.93.

McDonald's News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS says McDonald’s menu and marketing overhaul should drive a rebound in traffic and profit leverage, which supports an optimistic view on the stock as new initiatives roll out. McDonald's likely to bounce as fast-food chain overhauls menus, marketing, UBS says
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is launching six new crafted drinks (Refreshers and “dirty”/craft sodas) aimed at driving frequency and higher check averages — a tangible product push that can help offset traffic softness if customers respond. McDonald's is shaking up your soda run
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst previews and estimate notes (Zacks, Yahoo) highlight metrics beyond EPS/revenue — ticket, traffic, mix and US comps — that investors will focus on when McDonald’s reports quarterly results. These previews keep attention on execution rather than changing the headline view. Countdown to McDonald's (MCD) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Estimates Beyond Revenue and EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market drivers (geopolitical risk, jobs data, sector earnings cadence) are also pressuring retail/restaurant stocks today, adding background volatility ahead of McDonald’s report. 5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens
• Negative Sentiment: McDonald’s is phasing out self‑serve soda fountains across many U.S. locations — a move that could upset customers (loss of a perceived perk/free refills), increase labor/contact points, or reduce impulse drink sales in some markets. This operational change is getting wide media coverage and could pressure traffic or sentiment short-term. McDonald's is phasing out self-serve soda fountains across the US
• Negative Sentiment: Reporting flags that McDonald’s new hand‑breaded chicken product rollout could create operational headaches (consistency, speed, cost), a risk for service times and margins if restaurants struggle to execute. Why McDonald's Hand-Breaded Chicken Could Create Some Serious Problems
• Negative Sentiment: UBS also warned separately that McDonald’s US same‑store sales could miss consensus in Q1, which is a direct near‑term earnings risk and likely a key reason for intraday weakness. McDonald's Could Miss First-Quarter US Comparable Sales Consensus Views, UBS Says

McDonald's Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $284.36 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $314.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $311.86. The stock has a market cap of $202.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.43. McDonald's Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald's Corporation will post 13.2 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald's

In related news, 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 value of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,052,200. This represents a 43.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total value of $8,706,883.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,587,915. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,990 shares of company stock worth $23,824,113. 0.26% of the stock is 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.

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