McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Purchased by Welch Group LLC

Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 1.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 215,074 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,845 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for about 2.5% of Welch Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $66,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,890,438,000. J. Stern & Co. LLP grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 9,867.5% during the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,541,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $776,608,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515,515 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP raised its position in McDonald’s by 171.7% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $913,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974,998 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in McDonald’s by 36.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,336,155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,179,244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 111.3% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,071,296 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $629,446,000 after acquiring an additional 1,090,849 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total value of $1,493,248.64. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,198,930.88. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,307 shares of company stock valued at $3,262,622. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on MCD shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $355.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $306.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Cfra raised shares of McDonald’s to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $331.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $336.26.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is drawing attention for menu-driven buzz, including the return of its fried apple pie and coverage around World Cup collectible cups, which can help traffic, social engagement, and near-term sales. We Tried It: A Visit to McDonald’s 35-Foot Fried Apple Pie Along Rte 66
• Positive Sentiment: The company is also expanding and modernizing, including a new Howard City location and a broader “McDonald’s NEXT” push focused on automation, digital ordering, better food quality, and improved franchise economics. McDonald’s opens first Howard City location
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary says lower oil prices are helping restaurant stocks broadly, easing consumer wallet pressure and lifting quick-service dining names like McDonald’s. Jack in the Box and First Watch Stocks Trade Up, What You Need To Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that McDonald’s is relying on China expansion to support long-term growth, but macro pressure and regional volatility are still weighing on near-term trends. Can McDonald’s China Expansion Support IDL Growth Amid Macro Pressure?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles were mostly consumer-interest pieces about how to save money at McDonald’s or how its products taste, which add brand visibility but are unlikely to materially affect fundamentals. How To Find the Cheapest McDonald’s Wherever You Are
• Negative Sentiment: One recent article highlights that Burger King breakfast sandwiches may outperform McDonald’s on a key advantage, reinforcing competitive pressure in breakfast and value-focused traffic. Burger King breakfast sandwiches outshine McDonald’s every time with one big advantage
• Negative Sentiment: There is also scrutiny around McDonald’s new AI drive-thru testing after a prior system was removed in 2024 due to ordering errors, which could raise questions about execution risk if rollout issues persist. McDonald’s is testing a new AI drive-thru system after removing its previous one in 2024 over order errors

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $270.21 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $264.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $191.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $283.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $304.54.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The business had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.34%.

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.