Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC Has $7.63 Million Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 49.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,117 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 8,260 shares during the quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $7,633,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Davis Capital Management acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Miller Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company to roll out $3 value items (and new $4 breakfast deals) in the U.S. starting in April — a clear push to reclaim McDonald’s value image and drive traffic and same‑store sales among cost‑sensitive consumers. This defensive pricing move can help protect market share in an industry focused on affordability. Article Title WSJ
• Positive Sentiment: Digital loyalty program nearing ~210M active users — higher engagement from loyalty can convert promotional traffic into repeat visits and higher lifetime value, supporting revenue resilience even if average check is pressured. Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Product and marketing coverage (Big Arch taste tests, spring/Cadbury menu items, Crocs Happy Meal) continue to keep brand relevance high but are unlikely by themselves to change near‑term fundamentals. These items support consumer interest and PR but have mixed near‑term earnings impact. Detroit News
• Neutral Sentiment: Wider press coverage (Quartz, Yahoo, Forbes, MSN) frames the $3 push as part of broader industry price competition; monitoring competitor responses will clarify whether this is a short‑term traffic tactic or a sustained price strategy. Quartz
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed — Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares (~$862k) on Mar. 10; insider selling can be perceived negatively by the market even if not tied to company outlook. Investors often watch such filings for signals about insider confidence. SEC filing

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,200. This represents a 43.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total transaction of $862,220.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,867,393.22. The trade was a 23.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 74,143 shares of company stock worth $24,517,724. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD stock opened at $325.03 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $319.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.34. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.51.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The business’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.83 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Tigress Financial upped their price target on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Guggenheim cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $339.69.

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.