Swiss National Bank Cuts Stock Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Swiss National Bank decreased its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,061,100 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 103,600 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.29% of McDonald’s worth $626,348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WD Rutherford LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the third quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $991,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% in the third quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $736,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.0% in the third quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,352,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on MCD. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $339.69.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price target raised to $385 — a direct bullish signal that increases upside expectations and can support buying interest. McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target Raised to $385.00
• Positive Sentiment: Viral “Big Arch” burger video added meaningful brand value (reported at ≈$18M) — free marketing and renewed customer attention could lift short-term traffic and digital orders. McDonald’s Big Arch burger viral video has added at least $18 million brand value to the chain
• Positive Sentiment: Product and promotion activity (new Happy Meal, Crocs Happy Meal tie‑in) — ongoing limited‑time offers and collaborations help traffic and merchandising. McDonald’s, Crocs team up on new Happy Meal for limited time
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive talent visibility — McDonald’s CIO Brian Rice joining Albertsons’ board highlights McDonald’s digital capability but is not an immediate earnings driver. A Look At Albertsons Companies (ACI) Valuation As Tech Leader Brian Rice Joins The Board
• Neutral Sentiment: Menu reviews and local nostalgia pieces (Filet‑O‑Fish upgrade, Long Island location story) keep brand conversation active but are unlikely to move the stock materially. The Game-Changing McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish Upgrade That Makes It 10x Better
• Negative Sentiment: $150 oil risk argument — coverage warns that a big jump in oil threatens demand (drive‑through, delivery, franchise economics) more than McDonald’s direct input costs, implying traffic and same‑store sales downside if fuel spikes. This is a key macro sensitivity to watch. McDonald’s Real Risk From $150 Oil Has Nothing to Do With Costs
• Negative Sentiment: Viral CEO tasting video drew mockery — while it increased awareness, any reputational noise could blunt the marketing upside and merits monitoring of brand sentiment. McDonald’s CEO mocked online after awkward Big Arch Burger tasting video goes viral

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $328.22 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $318.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.02. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The company has a market capitalization of $233.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.51.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.43, for a total value of $110,033.19. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,885,645.19. The trade was a 3.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 71,517 shares of company stock worth $23,655,503. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.