McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Acquired by Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 8.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 115,866 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,400 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $35,211,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 142.9% during the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 162.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $323.33 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $230.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.59, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.52. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $312.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $307.90. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $328.06.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.83 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 63.48%.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total value of $854,106.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. This represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,169,430. This trade represents a 39.40% 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 sold 34,634 shares of company stock valued at $10,749,559. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MCD. UBS Group set a $365.00 target price on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $358.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $333.73.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — McDonald’s reported stronger-than-expected Q4 results (revenue up ~9.7% YoY; EPS beat consensus), driven by rising comparable sales and traffic tied to value offers. This is the primary bullish catalyst supporting the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Value strategy and loyalty gains — Management says Extra Value Meals and promotions pulled back budget-conscious customers; systemwide loyalty sales rose ~20% and 90‑day active users climbed to ~210M, underpinning sustainable traffic and digital sales growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backdrop supportive — Multiple firms have buy/overweight ratings and recent price targets generally sit above the current share level, giving analysts a lift to investor confidence after the results. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Menu innovation to address trends — McDonald’s is testing high‑protein menu items to appeal to consumers using GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs, a potential revenue hedge if eating habits shift. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing buzz — Limited-time stunts (e.g., McNugget “caviar” kits) sold out quickly and drove media attention and short‑term traffic, but are unlikely to be a sustained earnings driver. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Growth roadmap commentary — Coverage (podcasts/analysis) highlights management’s push toward a larger store base (discussion of a 50k footprint) — strategic upside but long‑dated. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee friction — Some franchisees resist centralized pricing/value moves, which could complicate uniform execution and limit margin upside if disputes persist. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — A senior U.S. executive disclosed the sale of ~2,626 shares (~$854K), which may be interpreted as profit-taking and can damp investor sentiment after the earnings pop. Read More.

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.