National Bank of Canada FI Cuts Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

National Bank of Canada FI lowered its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 3.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 823,366 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 30,436 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $250,216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Davis Capital Management acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Miller Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc raised its price target and called out strong momentum in McDonald’s U.S. business — a direct analyst catalyst that supports upside expectations. KeyBanc Cites Strong Momentum in McDonald’s Corporation (MCD)’s Domestic Business
• Positive Sentiment: Several bullish pieces (Seeking Alpha, Seeking Alpha follow-ups, and Yahoo summaries of bullish theses) argue McDonald’s is still a structurally attractive holding thanks to scale, menu innovation and resilient margins. These reinforce buy-side interest. Three Reasons To Own McDonald’s Now
• Positive Sentiment: Company strategy milestones (franchising, digital/operational improvements highlighted in business press) are being framed as the “next big step” in McDonald’s post‑pandemic playbook — potentially supportive for long‑term sales and margins. McDonald’s Just Announced the Next Big Step In Its Post-Pandemic Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: McValue 2.0 menu is getting attention as a traffic driver, but analysts warn McDonald’s current valuation leaves limited upside — positive for comps but mixed for shares. McDonald’s McValue 2.0 Menu Is Appetizing But Valuation Leaves Little Room For Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple consumer‑interest pieces (sauces, fries, Filet‑O‑Fish cheese) are being shared widely — good for brand engagement but unlikely to move the stock materially. How are McDonald’s Big Mac & Big Arch sauces different? Why McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish Always Has Crooked Cheese
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting Darden (DRI) and Restaurant Brands (QSR) outpacing McDonald’s highlights relative underperformance risk — investors may reallocate to higher‑growth peers. Why DRI And QSR Are Outpacing McDonald’s Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Barchart suggests the stock’s price targets have moved higher but the share price has been flat, making shorting out‑of‑the‑money puts an attractive trade — a signal that some market participants expect limited near‑term upside or downside risk. McDonald’s Stock Price Targets Are Higher – Shorting MCD Puts Works Here
• Negative Sentiment: Industry pieces on burger/commodity cost pressures (Burger King/Whopper coverage) flag margin risk for beef‑centric menu items — a potential headwind if input costs spike. McDonald’s and Burger King face whopper of a burger problem

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $326.79 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $320.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $311.61. The company has a market capitalization of $232.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.51.

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

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total value of $862,220.84. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,867,393.22. This trade represents a 23.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total transaction of $8,764,097.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,638,066. This represents a 53.43% 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 have sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. BTIG Research boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup upped their target price on McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $339.69.

McDonald’s 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.