McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC lowered its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 757,568 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 30,032 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $231,536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 21,487 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after buying an additional 3,866 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 5.2% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,029,572 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $312,877,000 after buying an additional 51,039 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.5% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,533,015 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $465,868,000 after buying an additional 37,744 shares in the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,493,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,697,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MCD. Mizuho lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Guggenheim decreased their price target on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $334.45.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS said McDonald’s is well positioned for global market-share gains, reinforcing the view that the company’s scale, brand power, and international footprint can help it outperform rivals. McDonald’s Seen Well-Positioned for Global Market-Share Gains, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s continues to highlight value and menu innovation, including Extra Value Meals and a new under-$3 menu, which analysts viewed as helping the chain regain share among budget-conscious customers. 5 Insightful Analyst Questions From McDonald’s’s Q1 Earnings Call
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s brand-building efforts, including a Nike co-branded sneaker launch and localized menu marketing such as the Spam McMuffin in Hawaii, underscore the company’s cultural relevance and ability to drive engagement. McDonald’s Tests Brand Power With Nike Tie In And Spam McMuffin
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies updated its list of highest-conviction buy-rated stocks, which may include McDonald’s, but the article does not provide enough detail here to assess a direct stock impact. Jefferies updates its list of highest-conviction Buy-rated stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lowered its FY2026 EPS forecast for McDonald’s, suggesting analysts see some pressure on earnings expectations. McDonald’s FY2026 EPS Forecast Lowered by Erste Group Bank
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent commentary also highlighted softer consumer spending and reduced dining-out frequency, which can weigh on traffic and same-store sales for McDonald’s. Is McDonald’s an Undervalued Dividend Stock to Buy?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total value of $806,182.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,578,800. The trade was a 23.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $763,567.39. This trade represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 12,119 shares of company stock valued at $3,945,973. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD opened at $282.34 on Tuesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $271.98 and a one year high of $341.75. The company has a market cap of $200.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.28, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.43. The business’s fifty day moving average is $303.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $309.85.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The company had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.