United Asset Strategies Inc. Sells 10,386 Shares of McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• United Asset Strategies Inc. cut its McDonald’s stake by 85.6% in the third quarter, selling 10,386 shares and retaining 1,753 shares valued at approximately $405,000.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of McDonald’s stock, with several major funds—including State Street, Arrowstreet Capital and Swiss National Bank—increasing their positions.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $294.73, despite multiple recent target reductions. McDonald’s also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.93 per share, implying a 3.0% yield.

United Asset Strategies Inc. lowered its stake in shares of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 85.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,753 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after selling 10,386 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.'s holdings in McDonald's were worth $405,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald's by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,080,505 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $9,752,921,000 after buying an additional 646,675 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in McDonald's in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,359,276,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in McDonald's by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,637,785 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $1,130,587,000 after buying an additional 533,448 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in McDonald's by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,089,980 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $649,545,000 after acquiring an additional 134,480 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in McDonald's by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,909,321 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $593,366,000 after acquiring an additional 62,562 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

More McDonald's News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technical commentary suggests McDonald’s stock, which has fallen sharply this year amid weakness in consumer-discretionary shares, may be positioned for a rebound. The recent recovery could attract value-oriented investors if the company delivers resilient sales and cash flow. Mapping the Market: Beaten-down McDonald’s stock may be ripe for a rally
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is bringing back Pokémon Happy Meals in November, featuring collectible toys and trading cards. The promotion could support customer traffic, family visits and near-term sales, although its impact is likely temporary. McDonald’s is bringing back Pokémon Happy Meals
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is focusing on estimates for McDonald’s third-quarter 2026 revenue, earnings and operating metrics. The reports provide expectations rather than new company results, so the stock’s next major catalyst will be whether actual performance exceeds or falls short of those forecasts. Unveiling McDonald’s Q3 Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: New holiday beverages and an $8 Quarter Pounder meal are scheduled for November. These value and seasonal offerings may help affordability perceptions and traffic, but investors will need evidence that promotions can improve demand without pressuring restaurant-level margins. McDonald’s adds new holiday drinks
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho cut its McDonald’s price target from $290 to $260 and assigned a neutral rating, indicating limited expected upside from recent levels. The revision reinforces concerns about valuation and the durability of cash-flow growth. Mizuho McDonald’s rating
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage also questions whether McDonald’s current valuation already reflects its expected cash generation, while the stock remains materially below its level at the start of the year. A planned multibillion-dollar modernization and AI drive-through initiative could improve efficiency over time, but it also introduces execution and investment risks.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Melius Research cut their target price on shares of McDonald's from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 28th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on McDonald's from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on McDonald's from $335.00 to $310.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their price objective on McDonald's from $309.00 to $293.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on McDonald's from $300.00 to $270.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $294.73.

McDonald's Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of McDonald's stock opened at $258.15 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $248.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $283.44. The company has a market cap of $182.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.44. McDonald's Corporation has a 1 year low of $229.20 and a 1 year high of $341.75.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 572.06%. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.19 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.93 per share. This represents a $7.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This is a positive change from McDonald's's previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. McDonald's's payout ratio is presently 60.44%.

McDonald's Company Profile

McDonald’s Corporation is a global quick-service restaurant company that operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand. Its restaurants serve a menu that includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, breakfast items, desserts, salads, beverages and coffee. Offerings vary by market, and many locations provide drive-thru service, delivery and digital ordering through the McDonald’s mobile app.

The company operates through a heavily franchised business model, with restaurants owned and operated by independent franchisees, affiliates and the company itself.

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