McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by R Squared Ltd

R Squared Ltd lessened its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 84.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,068 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 11,521 shares during the quarter. R Squared Ltd’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $628,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lansing Street Advisors boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Lansing Street Advisors now owns 52,878 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $16,069,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 6.0% in the third quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,923 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,015,000 after purchasing an additional 959 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 5.4% in the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 5,995 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,822,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 103.0% during the third quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,832 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,723,000 after buying an additional 9,556 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 0.9% during the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 59,049 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $17,944,000 after buying an additional 534 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 78,084 shares of company stock valued at $25,661,722 in the last three months. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $334.58 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $237.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $315.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $309.94. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $283.47 and a 52 week high of $336.94.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) 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. The company’s 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 fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Value + expansion: McDonald’s reported 5.7% global comparable growth in Q4 driven by value deals, digital momentum and plans for ~2,600 openings in 2026 — a near‑term traffic and longer‑term unit growth story that supports revenue and same‑store sales expectations. Can McDonald’s Value Strategy Sustain Traffic Gains in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Promotions & LTOs lifting visits: national $1 McMuffin promotions and the U.S. rollout of the supersized “Big Arch” burger are generating buzz and likely short‑term foot traffic and app engagement, helping maintain momentum into the quarter. McDonald’s launches supersized Big Arch Burger in US
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: JPMorgan raised its price target to $325 and kept an overweight view, reinforcing buy‑side conviction and providing a near‑term catalyst for investor demand. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts McDonald’s Price Target to $325.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Loyalty & beverage trends: coverage highlights loyalty programs and menu experimentation (including limited international items) that boost repeat visits — positive structurally but with uncertain immediate margin impact. Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Chipotle Reward Loyal Customers. It Brings Them Back.
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive & category context: broader coffee/cold‑beverage trends at rivals and Burger King’s strategy updates are industry factors to monitor; they affect relative share but aren’t an immediate McDonald’s earnings shock. Why Starbucks and Other Chains Are Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Their Biggest Spenders
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: recent filings show EVP Jonathan Banner and President Joe/ Joseph Erlinger sold shares (multi‑hundred to multi‑thousand share transactions). Executive sales can unsettle some investors even if for non‑company‑specific reasons. SEC Form 4 (Jonathan Banner sale)
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational noise: a controversial regional Ramadan ad in Germany and social backlash around high‑profile, politicized moments (e.g., coverage of Trump serving McDonald’s to Olympians) create short‑term PR risk that could pressure sentiment in specific markets. Why New McDonald’s Ad Campaign Will Show Empty Boxes With No Food Trump Serves McDonald’s To Olympic Hockey Champs And Many Fans Aren’t Lovin’ It

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on MCD. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Oppenheimer raised shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $337.57.

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.