Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Acquires 2,201 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC grew its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,657 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 2,201 shares during the quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $6,277,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the third quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 59,330 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $18,030,000 after acquiring an additional 1,589 shares in the last quarter. Prentice Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 4.5% in the third quarter. Prentice Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,516 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $765,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank increased its position in McDonald’s by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 4,817 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,464,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $736,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 16,930 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,145,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MCD. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 target price on McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 17th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $324.57.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s raised its quarterly dividend to $1.86 (annualized $7.44), signaling continued free‑cash‑flow strength and supporting the stock’s income appeal. (Dividend disclosure appeared in recent MarketBeat reporting.)
• Positive Sentiment: Holiday marketing is driving strong attention — the Grinch Meal promotion generated broad press and consumer buzz, which can boost seasonal traffic and brand engagement. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s revived its digital MONOPOLY promotion to push app downloads, reinforce value messaging and support U.S. traffic for Q4 — a digital-first campaign that can improve repeat visits and AUVs. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and institutional activity remains mixed: several analysts reaffirm or tweak targets around the low‑to‑mid $300s, and institutional holdings changed modestly — supports a “hold” consensus but not a clear re‑rating catalyst. (Coverage summarized in recent market reports.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Political/insider transaction news: a report noted Representative Julie Johnson sold shares of McDonald’s; such public selling can draw short‑term attention but doesn’t change fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Desiree Ralls‑Morrison sold 2,486 shares (~$795k at $320) and reduced her holdings ~28% — insider selling can be perceived negatively by investors, especially when clustered with other sales. SEC filing: Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational hit: McDonald’s pulled an AI Christmas ad after backlash in some markets, which generated negative headlines and potential short‑term brand distraction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader industry pressure: analysts note U.S. restaurants face softer demand, higher value sensitivity and cost pressures — a tougher consumer backdrop could cap same‑store sales and margin upside. Read More.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total transaction of $977,094.90. Following the sale, the insider owned 6,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,861,832.16. The trade was a 34.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock opened at $315.85 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $307.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $303.93. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $276.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.23 EPS. 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 Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 63.48%.

About McDonald’s

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.