McDonald's Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management cut its McDonald's stake by 8.4% in Q4, selling 6,242 shares and retaining 68,229 shares valued at about $20.85 million.
• McDonald's beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $3.12 (vs. $3.05 consensus) and revenue of $7.01 billion (up 9.7% year-over-year), while analysts' consensus rating is "Hold" with a $339.69 target.
• Insiders have been selling: recent sales include Joseph Erlinger and EVP Jonathan Banner, and insiders sold 71,657 shares worth $23.7 million over the past 90 days (insiders own 0.25% of shares).

Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC reduced its holdings in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,229 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 6,242 shares during the quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $20,853,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 162.5% in the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Painted Porch Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 735.7% in the third quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Davis Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald's in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised earnings estimates for McDonald’s, which supports near-term analyst sentiment and valuation models. Erste Group Bank Increases Earnings Estimates for McDonald's
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 benchmarking coverage highlights McDonald’s solid Q4 results (revenue and EPS beats), reinforcing the company’s resilient margins and franchise model—important fundamentals for medium-term investors. Traditional Fast Food Stocks Q4 Results: Benchmarking McDonald's NYSE: MCD
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is a featured participant in a major sustainability summit alongside PepsiCo and Walmart, which may help with ESG positioning and institutional investor interest. PepsiCo, Walmart and McDonald's to Lead US Sustainability Summit Programme
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and Yahoo finance pieces note MCD as a “trending” stock and highlight metrics investors watch (earnings momentum, Zacks ESP); useful context but not a direct catalyst. Here is What to Know Beyond Why McDonald's Corporation (MCD) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on whether Warren Buffett owns McDonald’s provides background on investor interest but doesn’t imply immediate buying pressure. Is Warren Buffett Invested in McDonald’s?
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing collaborations (e.g., K-pop partnership) are brand-building initiatives that could boost traffic among younger demographics over time. KPop Demon Hunters X McDonald’s X VANDYTHEPINK Collab Coming To Complex
• Negative Sentiment: Repeated viral coverage criticizing the CEO’s on-camera bite and etiquette has generated negative PR; while largely reputational, it can weigh on sentiment and retail investor reactions in the short term. McDonald’s CEO roasted yet again for eating on-camera
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive stories highlighting Burger King’s product revamp and market wins raise concerns about share dynamics in key segments—could pressure same-store sales expectations if sustained. How Burger King is beating McDonald’s with revamped Whopper

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on McDonald's from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Erste Group Bank raised McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $340.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald's presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $339.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total transaction of $862,220.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,733 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,867,393.22. This trade represents a 23.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204 in the last ninety days. 0.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald's Stock Down 1.3%

McDonald's stock opened at $305.64 on Friday. McDonald's Corporation has a 52-week low of $283.47 and a 52-week high of $341.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $321.19 and a 200-day moving average of $311.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $217.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.58, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

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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