Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Acquires 3,443 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,022 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,443 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $6,996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. WD Rutherford LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the third quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $991,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the third quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $736,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.0% in the third quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $538,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.3% during the third quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,352,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.1% during the third quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. This trade represents a 73.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,517 shares of company stock valued at $23,655,503. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $339.69.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $328.22 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.47, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $318.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $311.04.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.26%.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target on MCD to $385 and kept a “buy” rating, implying roughly 17% upside from the current price — a direct bullish signal from an analyst that can drive buying interest. Street Insider: PT Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Capgemini extended its technology partnership with McDonald’s for five years to modernize restaurants and accelerate digital features — supports efficiency, digital sales growth and execution of the “Accelerating the Arches” strategy. Capgemini partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic expansion plan: analyst coverage (Zacks) highlights MCD’s target of ~50,000 restaurants by 2027 with 2,600 openings planned for 2026 — accelerates unit-driven revenue potential and global footprint growth. Zacks: 50K restaurant target
• Positive Sentiment: Brand & merchandising lift: Crocs x Happy Meal collaboration and revived Happy Meal partnerships drive PR and collectible demand that can boost traffic and AUVs in limited windows. Crocs Happy Meal collab
• Neutral Sentiment: Local development: planning for a third McDonald’s in Collierville, TN — incremental local growth but immaterial to companywide fundamentals. Collierville restaurant plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend narratives continue to feature MCD among reliable payers — supports longer‑term investor interest but is not an immediate price catalyst. Dividend stocks article
• Negative Sentiment: Product/PR risk from Big Arch launch — the nationwide rollout and a viral 13‑second CEO taste‑test video produced heavy attention but mixed consumer reviews and social backlash; competitors (Burger King, Wendy’s) have publicly trolled the clip. That creates short‑term reputational noise and raises the risk that the premium product may not sustain lift if consumer reception or value perception proves weak. Big Arch coverage

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.