Legal & General Group Plc Has $1.45 Billion Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 6.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,757,967 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 286,284 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,445,899,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: New product momentum — McDonald’s Big Arch burger is being heavily promoted (CEO appearances, social campaigns such as “First Job Confessional”) and is generating strong online buzz that can lift traffic and brand engagement. McDonald’s Big Arch Burger Tests Brand Power And Rich Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — At least one outlet reports a raised price target to $385, signaling increased analyst confidence in MCD’s outlook and valuation support. McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target Raised to $385.00
• Positive Sentiment: Viral CEO marketing — A widely viewed video of McDonald’s CEO sampling the new product has driven free publicity and conversations that amplify the Big Arch campaign. Increased organic attention can translate into short-term traffic gains. Viral video of McDonald’s CEO eating new ‘product’ draws response from Columbus Metropolitan Library
• Neutral Sentiment: Pricing variability — A study shows Big Arch prices vary widely across U.S. markets; this affects local comps and customer perception but is not a company-wide earnings surprise. McDonald’s Big Arch Burger Prices Swing Wildly Across U.S., New Study Shows
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing product initiatives — New Happy Meal offerings and Filet‑O‑Fish tips/PR continue to support menu innovation and value perception, which can aid transaction growth over time. McDonald’s announces new happy meal
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and reputational noise — Rival chains (notably Burger King) and their agencies have produced social jabs that highlight brand rivalry; while largely promotional theatre, sustained negative narratives can dent sentiment. Burger King names 2 new agencies following viral Whopper bite moment
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/logistics risk — Analysis flags meaningful exposure to very high oil prices (fuel for delivery/drive‑thru, packaging, logistics) that could suppress demand or raise operating risk if energy spikes materially. McDonald’s Real Risk From $150 Oil Has Nothing to Do With Costs

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MCD. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer upgraded McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their target price on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $339.69.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.9%

MCD stock opened at $331.03 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $318.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.15. The stock has a market cap of $235.17 billion, a PE ratio of 27.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.51. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.83 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share 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. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction 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 represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 71,517 shares of company stock valued at $23,655,503 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.