Ticino Wealth Purchases New Stake in McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• Ticino Wealth bought a new stake of 10,808 shares (~$3.303M) in McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) during Q4, making the stock about 1.2% of its portfolio and its 23rd-largest holding.
• Several large hedge funds (Viking Global, Franklin Resources, Arrowstreet, Marshall Wace, Alyeska) materially increased MCD positions, and institutional ownership stands at approximately 70.29%.
• McDonald's recently beat quarterly EPS expectations ($3.12 vs. $3.05) with revenue up 9.7% YoY and pays a $1.86 quarterly dividend (~2.4% yield), but insiders have been selling and analysts' ratings are mixed with a consensus "Hold" and an average price target near $339.

Ticino Wealth bought a new stake in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,808 shares of the fast-food giant's stock, valued at approximately $3,303,000. McDonald's comprises approximately 1.2% of Ticino Wealth's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MCD. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 171.7% during the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $913,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974,998 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 36.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,179,244 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in McDonald's by 111.3% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,071,296 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $629,446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,090,849 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of McDonald's by 927.5% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 827,547 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $251,483,000 after purchasing an additional 927,547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 766.5% in the 3rd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 885,629 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $269,134,000 after acquiring an additional 783,416 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS says McDonald’s upcoming $3 value menu should support traffic and reinforce McDonald’s value positioning, a near-term sales tailwind that Wall Street views favorably. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts note McDonald’s will report Q1 results soon; consensus expects single‑digit EPS growth, so market reaction will hinge on restaurant-level trends and April comps rather than a big earnings upside surprise. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage shows broker sentiment is mixed — the average brokerage rating sits at "Hold," suggesting limited near-term upgrade momentum even as some firms remain constructive. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc trimmed its price target from $354 to $345 and warned of a volatile outlook for 2026; while it kept an Overweight rating, the lower target signals caution about growth drivers and could pressure sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reports note today’s share decline and attribute it to analyst-driven positioning and broader market moves; that short-term selling reflects sensitivity to guidance/comp trends ahead of the print. Read More.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total transaction of $854,106.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. The trade was a 32.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,723,307. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on MCD. KeyCorp decreased their target price on McDonald's from $354.00 to $345.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $339.38.

McDonald's Stock Down 1.1%

McDonald's stock opened at $303.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $215.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald's Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $319.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.95.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that McDonald's Corporation will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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