McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC cut its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 122,566 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 2,629 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $33,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. DecisionPoint Financial LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 1,616.7% in the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 103 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. Freedom Capital raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday. Evercore set a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $325.44.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital upgraded McDonald’s (MCD) from “hold” to “strong-buy,” while BTIG reiterated its “buy” rating. These calls suggest some analysts view the recent selloff as excessive and expect a recovery. McDonald’s analyst upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s remains attractive to income-focused investors because of its long record of dividend payments. Its latest quarterly earnings also exceeded consensus expectations, and global markets continue to provide support. McDonald’s dividend history
• Neutral Sentiment: Forecast coverage is mixed. Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $319, while RBC and Robert W. Baird issued pessimistic outlooks; a separate forecast highlighted potential upside from McDonald’s loyalty scale and the faster-than-expected rollout of its beverage platform. Morgan Stanley lowers McDonald’s price target
• Negative Sentiment: The main issue is weak U.S. performance. Management acknowledged an execution problem involving the value menu, digital offers, restaurant workload, and marketing—not a flawed overall strategy. Customers continue to demand better value, raising concerns about traffic and near-term sales growth. McDonald’s Q2 earnings call
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure is increasing, with Burger King reporting stronger U.S. sales momentum as McDonald’s growth falters. Wendy’s weak traffic and withdrawn outlook add to broader investor concern about value-oriented fast-food demand. Burger King gains against McDonald’s
• Negative Sentiment: McDonald’s has pushed back its goal of reaching 50,000 restaurants, suggesting that economic conditions are slowing expansion. The end of its Krispy Kreme doughnut partnership also removes a recent menu-growth initiative. McDonald’s expansion plans

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, 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 transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,348 shares of company stock worth $2,355,634. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $274.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $194.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.29, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $274.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $296.42. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $260.96 and a 52 week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 512.80% and a net margin of 31.72%.The firm’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.87 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 60.44%.

About McDonald’s

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.