National Pension Service Raises Stock Position in McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its McDonald’s stake by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, adding 24,333 shares and bringing its total holding to 1,557,348 shares worth about $476 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very heavy, with hedge funds and other institutions owning about 70.29% of McDonald’s stock. Several large investors, including Vanguard, State Street, and Geode Capital Management, also boosted their positions.
• Analysts remain cautiously bullish on McDonald’s, with 17 Buy ratings and a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, even as the stock trades near its 12-month low and the company faces some ESG pressure over missed emissions and packaging goals.

National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,557,348 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after acquiring an additional 24,333 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.22% of McDonald's worth $475,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in McDonald's by 1.0% in 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 lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 0.6% in 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 buying an additional 196,505 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,038,519 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $5,195,965,000 after buying an additional 76,090 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew 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 worth $1,445,899,000 after buying an additional 286,284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald's by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,422,014 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,343,501,000 after buying an additional 21,168 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total transaction of $93,276.63. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,734 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,166,370.74. This trade represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders sold a total of 5,918 shares of company stock worth $1,862,485 over the last 90 days. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is rolling out fresh promotions, including a 2026 FIFA World Cup Happy Meal, Squishmallows tie-ins, and regional beverage offerings such as refreshers and dirty sodas, which could help drive customer traffic and keep the brand highly visible. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary remains generally constructive, with analyst coverage still reflecting a moderate buy outlook and price targets above the current share price, suggesting some investors see the stock as undervalued. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s continues to benefit from its strong brand moat and recurring franchise-driven cash flow, which supports earnings resilience even in a tougher consumer backdrop. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: An insider sale by Joseph M. Erlinger of 333 shares was disclosed, but the transaction was small and does not by itself signal a major shift in the company’s outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Viral social media interest in a McDonald’s nugget “hack” may help brand buzz, but it is unlikely to materially change fundamentals on its own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: McDonald’s said it cannot meet its 2030 emissions targets and also missed a packaging goal, which could create ESG-related pressure and weigh on sentiment. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on McDonald's from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on McDonald's from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $331.00 price target on McDonald's in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on McDonald's from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $334.45.

McDonald's Trading Down 1.1%

MCD opened at $277.91 on Friday. McDonald's Corporation has a 12-month low of $271.98 and a 12-month high of $341.75. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $296.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $308.77. The company has a market capitalization of $197.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.91, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.43.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The company had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.34%.

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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