Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD – Free Report) by 21.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 84,887 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 15,152 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $19,604,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,359,276,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 30,979.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,596,340 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $806,917,000 after acquiring an additional 2,587,986 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its stake in McDonald’s by 9,867.5% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,541,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $776,608,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515,515 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 94.7% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,644,109 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $502,489,000 after acquiring an additional 799,462 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 132.1% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,325,880 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $412,071,000 after acquiring an additional 754,596 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s
Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Turnaround spending could support long-term sales. McDonald’s has outlined an approximately $8.5 billion franchisee-support and restaurant-modernization plan through 2036. The company is also pursuing more personalized digital offers, value meals and streamlined marketing to improve customer engagement after recent promotions underperformed. McDonald’s Trades at 18 Times Earnings McDonald’s Marketing Reset
- Positive Sentiment: Technology investments may improve operations. Reports describe plans involving AI-powered drive-thru technology, including a system called Archy, as part of the broader restaurant overhaul. Successful deployment could improve speed, labor efficiency and order accuracy, although a previous AI test was discontinued. McDonald’s AI Drive-Thru Overhaul
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst valuation remains above the current share price. A reported consensus target price of $295.94 indicates meaningful potential upside if McDonald’s executes its recovery strategy. McDonald’s Consensus Target Price
- Neutral Sentiment: The latest session’s increase contrasted with a difficult medium-term trend. MCD closed at $238.31 after gaining in the session, but shares have fallen roughly 23% over six months. At about 19 times earnings, investors are weighing a potentially attractive entry valuation against uncertain earnings growth. McDonald’s Increases Despite Market Slip
- Neutral Sentiment: Brand and promotional initiatives continue. McDonald’s is extending grassroots football sponsorships and may bring back Halloween Boo Buckets featuring Disney villains. These efforts could support traffic and brand engagement, but their financial effect is likely limited. McDonald’s Grassroots Football Commitment
- Negative Sentiment: Weak U.S. sales and value-menu execution remain key concerns. Coverage points to softer domestic demand and lower earnings estimates, raising doubts about whether the turnaround investments can produce sufficient returns. Erste Group also modestly reduced its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts. McDonald’s Stock Down 23 Percent
- Negative Sentiment: Legal and reputational risks add uncertainty. McDonald’s faces a reported class-action lawsuit alleging issues with AI-based menu pricing, while poor customer ratings at individual restaurants could weigh on perceptions of service quality. McDonald’s AI Menu Pricing Lawsuit
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MCD
McDonald’s Trading Up 1.0%
MCD opened at $238.16 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $253.35 and its 200-day moving average is $272.74. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $229.20 and a 1-year high of $341.75. The company has a market cap of $168.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.35, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.44.
McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 572.06%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.84 EPS for the current year.
McDonald’s Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a $1.93 dividend. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $7.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.44%.
About McDonald’s
McDonald’s Corporation is a global quick-service restaurant company that operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand. Its restaurants serve a menu that includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, breakfast items, desserts, salads, beverages and coffee. Offerings vary by market, and many locations provide drive-thru service, delivery and digital ordering through the McDonald’s mobile app.
The company operates through a heavily franchised business model, with restaurants owned and operated by independent franchisees, affiliates and the company itself.
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