McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Position Cut by Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC reduced its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 30.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 51,582 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 22,761 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $15,675,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. WD Rutherford LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $991,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Symmetry Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.0% in the third quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $538,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.3% in the third quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,352,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.1% during the third quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is rolling out the national Big Arch burger in early March — a high-visibility product launch that could boost store traffic and temporary check increases if it resonates with consumers. McDonald’s Big Arch burger is headed to US menus in early March — here’s what to know
• Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and coverage highlight McDonald’s expanding focus on larger, premium sandwiches and upsell items — a menu trend that supports higher average checks and margin expansion. McDonald’s goes big on a growing menu trend
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group upgraded MCD to Buy and expects stronger sales growth for 2026 (included in lists of low-volatility dividend stocks), giving investors a catalyst and fresh conviction around earnings upside. Erste Group Sees McDonald’s (MCD) Benefiting from Strong Financial Profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational tweak: McDonald’s updated its cash-rounding rules as pennies disappear — a small checkout/transaction change that could slightly simplify cash handling but has limited earnings impact. McDonald’s updates its cash rules as pennies vanish – how this might change your checkout routine
• Neutral Sentiment: Feature story on packaging evolution — useful for brand/ESG narrative but unlikely to move near-term fundamentals. How McDonald’s packaging has changed over the decades
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness (Dow down, software weakness) could apply short-term downward pressure on MCD despite company-specific positives if risk-off sentiment deepens. Stock Market Today: Dow Dives, Cybersecurity Plays Hit As Software Sinks; Gold Stocks Shine (Live Coverage)

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $334.55 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $314.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $309.41. The company has a market cap of $238.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $335.67.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 in the previous year, the company earned $2.83 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $337.04.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of McDonald’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 transaction of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,760. The trade was a 28.40% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,550 shares of company stock worth $23,484,957. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.