Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Acquires 13,875 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 92,342 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,875 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $28,044,000 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. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Miller Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target to $385 and reiterated a Buy, citing McDonald’s multi‑year growth strategy and brand strength — a clear analyst endorsement that supports upside to the stock. Tigress Financial Upgrades McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) Price Target, Highlights Multi-Year Growth Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Value menu push: McDonald’s is rolling out $3 value items and $4 breakfast deals in the U.S. starting in April to win back price‑sensitive customers — a traffic‑driving move that could boost visit frequency if franchisees and consumers adopt it. McDonald’s to launch new $3 value items in US starting April, WSJ reports
• Positive Sentiment: Digital/loyalty tailwinds: Management cites a large loyalty base and digital tools as drivers for higher visit frequency and better targeted promotions — structural levers for revenue per user and margin expansion over time. Can MCD’s Digital Ecosystem Turn Loyalty Into Higher Visit Frequency?
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and product noise: Viral moments (CEO burger video → memes) and new product reviews (e.g., Big Arch) keep brand relevance and social buzz high but are unlikely to move fundamentals immediately. How McDonald’s CEO’s viral burger video turned memes into money
• Neutral Sentiment: Menu coverage / consumer perception: Media attention on affordability and menu mix helps narrative but the actual impact depends on execution and unit economics. McDonald’s Plans New $3 Menu, in Latest Bid to Win Customers With Better Deals
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Executive Joseph Erlinger disclosed a sale of 2,626 shares (~$862k). While routine insider sales aren’t always predictive, they can be interpreted as a mild negative signal by some investors. Insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term dampener: Analysts and commentary note the stock is down since earnings (some profit‑taking and valuation debates persist), which can cap near‑term upside until fresh evidence of traffic/margin improvement appears. Why Is McDonald’s (MCD) Down 2.5% Since Last Earnings Report?

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $326.41 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 $231.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.31, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $320.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $311.51.

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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on MCD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 74,143 shares of company stock valued at $24,517,724. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.