Wealthfront Advisers LLC Purchases 16,559 Shares of McDonald's Corporation $MCD

Key Points

• Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its McDonald's stake by 22.7% in Q4, acquiring 16,559 shares to hold 89,558 shares valued at about $27.37 million.
• McDonald's beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $3.12 vs. $3.05 and revenue of $7.01 billion (up 9.7% year‑over‑year), and paid a quarterly dividend of $1.86 (annualized $7.44, yield ~2.6%).
• Analyst sentiment is mixed (16 Buys, 15 Holds, 1 Sell; average price target $340.93) and the stock is trading lower (~3%); the backdrop includes recent downgrades and notable insider selling of roughly 71,990 shares (~$23.8M) over the past 90 days.

Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position in McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) by 22.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,558 shares of the fast-food giant's stock after acquiring an additional 16,559 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in McDonald's were worth $27,372,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in McDonald's by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $43,606,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 317.2% during the 3rd quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $5,691,000 after purchasing an additional 14,506 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 2.5% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,533,015 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $465,868,000 after buying an additional 37,744 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its position in shares of McDonald's by 5.2% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,029,572 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $312,877,000 after buying an additional 51,039 shares during the period. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in McDonald's in the third quarter worth about $1,697,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major content/brand tie‑ins — McDonald’s is rolling out a high‑profile Stranger Things Happy Meal promotion that should boost traffic, merchandising and limited‑time sales during the campaign window. McDonald's unveils "Stranger Things" Happy Meal
• Positive Sentiment: Beverage push — McDonald’s launched an expanded drinks menu positioned to capture more beverage spend (a category with higher check and margin potential), which could help same‑store sales over time. McDonald's takes aim at Starbucks with new drinks menu
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/folio momentum pieces highlight MCD as a lower‑risk, growth‑oriented name amid its technology/real‑estate transformation — supportive framing for longer‑term holders. McDonald’s Corporation (MCD): One of the Best Low Risk High Growth Stocks to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Street targets are being reworked — some firms bumped targets into the mid‑$300s while others trimmed estimates; the debate is whether recent growth and AI/real‑estate gains are already priced in. This creates mixed signals rather than a clear catalyst. How The McDonald's (MCD) Investment Story Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Growth And Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Viral/PR moments (e.g., CEO comments about a viral tiny‑burger bite) and menu/promotion coverage keep the brand culturally relevant but have limited immediate EPS impact. McDonald's CEO explains viral tiny burger bite moment
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade — Erste Group lowered MCD from Buy to Hold, which likely contributed to selling pressure as investors re‑assess conviction around near‑term upside. Erste Group downgrades McDonald's to Hold (reference)
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction / price action coverage — multiple outlets note the shares moved lower in the latest session, signaling that the downgrade and mixed analyst commentary are weighing on sentiment. McDonald's (MCD) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

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 shares were 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. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were 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 $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim lowered 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on McDonald's from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup increased their target price on McDonald's from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on McDonald's from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on McDonald's from $335.00 to $334.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald's has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $340.93.

McDonald's Trading Down 3.0%

MCD opened at $290.45 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $316.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $312.04. The company has a market cap of $206.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 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.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that McDonald's Corporation will post 13.21 EPS for the current year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

McDonald's Company 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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