J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Increases Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 216,127 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,267 shares during the period. McDonald’s comprises 1.1% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $67,170,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,750 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $535,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Encompass More Asset Management boosted its position in McDonald’s by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Encompass More Asset Management now owns 2,120 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $648,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Richmond Investment Services LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Richmond Investment Services LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $696,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. now owns 8,809 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,692,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $642,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $306.00 in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $331.00 price target on McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, May 8th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $355.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $334.96.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $274.93 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $278.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $301.75. The stock has a market cap of $195.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.67, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $264.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.91 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,681 shares of company stock valued at $2,456,440. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is leaning into beverages with a new custom drink push, including a Dirty Dr. Pepper-style offering, which could help drive traffic and lift average ticket sizes as chains compete for drink sales. McDonald’s Dirty Dr. Pepper Leads Its New Custom Drink Push
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is also using promotions and limited-time offers, including free fries for National French Fry Day and a BT21 Happy Meal rollout, to support customer engagement and near-term sales momentum. Free fries article BT21 Happy Meals article
• Positive Sentiment: Some recent commentary suggests McDonald’s remains a defensible consumer name, with analysts and market writers highlighting its cash generation, brand strength, and potential to benefit from event-driven marketing around the FIFA World Cup. FIFA World Cup growth strategy article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle pieces about ordering hacks, retro campaigns, and menu combinations are generating buzz, but these appear more like brand-interest stories than material stock drivers. Filet-O-Fish and Snack Wrap article Ordering hack article Vinyl record campaign article
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s has also been the subject of mixed third-party coverage comparing it with other consumer names and discussing macro risks, but these articles do not signal a clear company-specific catalyst on their own. McDonald’s or Pfizer article Index exit and oil shock article
• Negative Sentiment: A Deutsche Bank note says McDonald’s U.S. comparable sales likely hit a new low in the second quarter, reinforcing worries that traffic and same-store sales may be weakening. US sales likely hit new low article
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market pieces also note that McDonald’s has been registering bigger daily declines than the broader market, suggesting investors remain cautious heading into upcoming sales and earnings-related updates. Registers a bigger fall than the market article

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.