Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. Acquires 8,855 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 15.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,930 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 8,855 shares during the period. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $20,339,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,647,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,773,010,000 after purchasing an additional 316,638 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in McDonald’s by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,828,352 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $10,175,800,000 after buying an additional 272,139 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,828,420 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,901,595,000 after buying an additional 276,065 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter worth approximately $2,780,712,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 29,382.3% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,676,339,000 after acquiring an additional 5,718,087 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Street support: JPMorgan raised its price target to $325 and remains constructive, giving buy‑side validation and likely contributing to bullish flows. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Promotions and LTOs driving traffic: The U.S. rollout of the “Big Arch” supersized burger and national $1 McMuffin promotions are generating buzz and should lift short‑term visits and digital engagement, supporting revenue and comp trends. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Loyalty and digital momentum: Coverage highlights McDonald’s rewards and app-driven promotions are improving visit frequency and ticket, a structural tailwind for margins and recurring sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend income visibility: Management confirmed a $1.86 quarterly dividend (ex‑div March 3, payable March 17), supporting demand from income‑oriented investors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst estimate moves from Zacks: Zacks updated numerous quarterly and FY2027/28 EPS estimates — lifting some full‑year/quarter forecasts while trimming others. The net effect is ambiguous for near‑term sentiment but shows analysts are actively re‑modeling. (Zacks coverage also discusses value strategy sustaining traffic.) Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Product novelty tests: International menu items and limited‑time offers can boost visits but their incremental margin impact is uncertain; useful for short‑term traffic but not a proven long‑term earnings catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Executives disclosed sales (including a recent sale by Joe Erlinger), which can spook some investors even if part of routine diversification. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Regional ad controversy: A Ramadan ad in Germany showing empty boxes drew criticism — a reputational headline that may pressure local sentiment but is unlikely to materially affect global fundamentals. Article Title

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of MCD stock opened at $340.85 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $242.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.52, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50 day moving average of $316.42 and a 200-day moving average of $310.19. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $341.35.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. The trade was a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 78,084 shares of company stock worth $25,661,722 in the last ninety days. 0.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MCD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus raised 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. Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $337.57.

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.