SG Americas Securities LLC Buys 553,100 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 3,159.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 570,606 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 553,100 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $174,394,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 84.1% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 141,775 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $41,422,000 after purchasing an additional 64,757 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 236.7% during the 3rd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,976,000 after purchasing an additional 4,571 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in shares of 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. Choreo LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 58,515 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $17,096,000 after buying an additional 954 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth $1,120,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $308.26 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $218.98 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $321.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.57. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $7.01 billion for 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rolling out value items ($3 or less) and $4 breakfast deals in the U.S., plus a Mario Happy Meal tie‑in, is designed to boost traffic and repeat visits amid consumer cost sensitivity — a near‑term demand catalyst. McDonald’s Value Push And Mario Tie In Versus Recent Share Weakness
• Positive Sentiment: Reviving a 36‑year‑old Happy Meal toy collaboration signals brand engagement and promotional lift for kids’ traffic, complementing the Mario campaign. McDonald’s revives 36-year-old fan-favorite Happy Meal toy collab
• Positive Sentiment: The premium “Big Arch” burger is producing a modest traffic bump and is positioned to protect margins while value items drive visits — a two‑pronged pricing/mix strategy that can support revenue and profit per transaction. McDonald’s Big Arch provides a modest traffic bump
• Positive Sentiment: Testing humanoid robots in a Shanghai location signals a push on automation that could lower labor costs and improve throughput in the medium term if scaled successfully. McDonald’s (MCD) Tests Humanoid Robots at Shanghai Restaurant Location
• Neutral Sentiment: Large state‑by‑state price differences highlight local pricing flexibility and franchised variability — this shows pricing power in some markets but inconsistent consumer pricing experience elsewhere. McDonald’s Big Arch—Drastic Price Differences Across States
• Neutral Sentiment: Practical consumer stories (cash‑only rules, niche menu items, food features) drive brand conversation but have limited direct impact on fundamentals. The McDonald’s cash-only rule you need to know about
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/asset‑allocation pieces comparing beaten‑down blue chips (Home Depot vs. McDonald’s) may influence flows but reflect relative valuation/portfolio choice rather than company‑specific news. Home Depot vs McDonald’s: Which Beaten-Down Blue Chip Is the Better Buy Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting “menu missteps” argues that inconsistent or poorly received menu changes could force a strategy reset — a risk to sales mix and margins if McDonald’s needs to overhaul offerings or promotions. McDonald’s latest menu missteps could force a new menu strategy

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total value of $862,220.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,867,393.22. The trade was a 23.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This represents a 43.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204 in the last three months. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MCD shares. KeyCorp increased their price target on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $339.69.

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.