McDonald's Corporation $MCD Stock Position Reduced by Wells Fargo & Company MN

Key Points

• Wells Fargo trimmed its McDonald’s stake by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, though it still held 7.9 million shares worth about $2.4 billion.
• McDonald’s recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $2.83 on revenue of $6.52 billion, with revenue up 9.4% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive, with the stock carrying an average “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $336.26, even as some firms recently lowered their targets.

Wells Fargo & Company MN lessened its position in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,903,132 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 458,507 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned about 1.11% of McDonald's worth $2,415,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Peterson Wealth Services grew its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 3,294.5% during the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 11,779 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $3,600,000 after purchasing an additional 11,432 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 84.4% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 35,510 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $10,853,000 after purchasing an additional 16,252 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Sarl grew its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 64,256 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $19,639,000 after purchasing an additional 6,079 shares during the last quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 21,487 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 3,866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in shares of McDonald's during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,493,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MCD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on McDonald's from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Evercore set a $350.00 price objective on McDonald's in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on McDonald's from $330.00 to $305.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Erste Group Bank downgraded McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price objective on McDonald's from $345.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $336.26.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $284.88 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $289.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $306.75. The company has a market cap of $202.41 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald's Corporation has a 12-month low of $271.85 and a 12-month high of $341.75.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is 61.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald's news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total value of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 11,307 shares of company stock valued at $3,262,622 over the last 90 days. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald's News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighted McDonald’s as a “rare mega-cap” with accelerating fundamentals, citing 3.8% global comparable sales growth, more than $9 billion in loyalty sales over 90 days, and 9.4% year-over-year revenue growth, which supports the bull case for the stock. McDonald’s Will Trade at This Price in 2028
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is testing AI-powered drive-thru ordering, and early results from a million orders appear promising; if rolled out successfully, this could improve efficiency and margins over time. McDonald’s Is Letting AI Take Your Orders Again. A Million Orders Later, the Results Look Promising.
• Positive Sentiment: Promotional activity tied to FIFA World Cup meals, collectible cups, and Squishmallows could help drive customer traffic and add some sales momentum. McDonald's FIFA World Cup meals with Squishmallows and 9 collectible cups are here
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and investor commentary remains generally supportive, with reports noting McDonald’s continues to attract attention as a defensive, widely followed stock. McDonald's Corporation (MCD) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by executive Joseph Erlinger may weigh on sentiment slightly, even though such sales do not necessarily reflect a change in business outlook. Joseph Erlinger Sells 5,252 Shares of McDonald's NYSE: MCD Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent coverage has also raised concerns about customer pushback on operational changes and workplace safety issues, which could create headline risk if they persist. Should McDonald’s AI Drive Thru Push and Safety Scrutiny Require Action From McDonald’s (MCD) Investors?

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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