Ritholtz Wealth Management Purchases 1,824 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 17,973 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 1,824 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $5,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WD Rutherford LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted 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 valued at $736,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Symmetry Partners LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,352,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $305.64 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $283.47 and a 52-week high of $341.75. The company has a market capitalization of $217.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average of $321.19 and a 200-day moving average of $311.66.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $339.69.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised earnings estimates for McDonald’s, which supports near-term analyst sentiment and valuation models. Erste Group Bank Increases Earnings Estimates for McDonald’s
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 benchmarking coverage highlights McDonald’s solid Q4 results (revenue and EPS beats), reinforcing the company’s resilient margins and franchise model—important fundamentals for medium-term investors. Traditional Fast Food Stocks Q4 Results: Benchmarking McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD)
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is a featured participant in a major sustainability summit alongside PepsiCo and Walmart, which may help with ESG positioning and institutional investor interest. PepsiCo, Walmart and McDonald’s to Lead US Sustainability Summit Programme
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and Yahoo finance pieces note MCD as a “trending” stock and highlight metrics investors watch (earnings momentum, Zacks ESP); useful context but not a direct catalyst. Here is What to Know Beyond Why McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on whether Warren Buffett owns McDonald’s provides background on investor interest but doesn’t imply immediate buying pressure. Is Warren Buffett Invested in McDonald’s?
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing collaborations (e.g., K-pop partnership) are brand-building initiatives that could boost traffic among younger demographics over time. KPop Demon Hunters X McDonald’s X VANDYTHEPINK Collab Coming To Complex
• Negative Sentiment: Repeated viral coverage criticizing the CEO’s on-camera bite and etiquette has generated negative PR; while largely reputational, it can weigh on sentiment and retail investor reactions in the short term. McDonald’s CEO roasted yet again for eating on-camera
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive stories highlighting Burger King’s product revamp and market wins raise concerns about share dynamics in key segments—could pressure same-store sales expectations if sustained. How Burger King is beating McDonald’s with revamped Whopper

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the business’s 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 directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 transaction 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.