McDonald's Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Calamos Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Calamos Advisors trimmed its McDonald's stake by 2.6% in Q4, selling 4,764 shares and leaving the firm with 176,538 shares valued at about $53.96 million.
• Company insiders have been active sellers recently — the CEO sold 26,276 shares (~$8.76M) and the CMO sold 4,692 shares (~$1.55M), with insiders selling 71,990 shares worth $23.8M in the past 90 days (insiders now own 0.26%).
• McDonald's is pushing growth initiatives — a nationwide value menu, a ~17‑item menu revamp with "protein" badges, and accelerated U.S. restaurant openings — measures aimed at boosting traffic and supporting long‑term unit growth.

Calamos Advisors LLC lessened its stake in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 176,538 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 4,764 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $53,955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. WD Rutherford LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 1.0% during the third quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $991,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,102 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $642,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $3,352,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC boosted its position in McDonald's by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC boosted its position in McDonald's by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 929 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald's

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

McDonald's Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $299.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $212.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $317.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.83. McDonald's Corporation has a 52 week low of $283.47 and a 52 week high of $341.75.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald's Corporation will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is 62.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This represents a 43.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total value of $8,764,097.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,638,066. The trade was 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 worth $23,824,113. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial increased their target price on McDonald's from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Oppenheimer raised shares of McDonald's from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $355.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of McDonald's from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of McDonald's from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.93.

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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