Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC Acquires 14,845 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 57.4% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 40,693 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 14,845 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up approximately 0.8% of Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $12,283,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $2,890,438,000. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 9,867.5% during the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,541,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $776,608,000 after purchasing an additional 2,515,515 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 171.7% during the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 36.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,336,155,000 after buying an additional 1,179,244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 111.3% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,071,296 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $629,446,000 after buying an additional 1,090,849 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE MCD opened at $270.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $191.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.28, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50 day moving average of $283.43 and a 200-day moving average of $304.54. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $264.53 and a 1-year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on MCD. Tigress Financial upped their price target on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 8th. Evercore set a $350.00 price objective on McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded McDonald’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $260.00 to $306.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Cfra raised McDonald’s to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $336.26.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total value of $1,493,248.64. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 11,307 shares of company stock worth $3,262,622 over the last 90 days. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is drawing attention for menu-driven buzz, including the return of its fried apple pie and coverage around World Cup collectible cups, which can help traffic, social engagement, and near-term sales. We Tried It: A Visit to McDonald’s 35-Foot Fried Apple Pie Along Rte 66
• Positive Sentiment: The company is also expanding and modernizing, including a new Howard City location and a broader “McDonald’s NEXT” push focused on automation, digital ordering, better food quality, and improved franchise economics. McDonald’s opens first Howard City location
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary says lower oil prices are helping restaurant stocks broadly, easing consumer wallet pressure and lifting quick-service dining names like McDonald’s. Jack in the Box and First Watch Stocks Trade Up, What You Need To Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that McDonald’s is relying on China expansion to support long-term growth, but macro pressure and regional volatility are still weighing on near-term trends. Can McDonald’s China Expansion Support IDL Growth Amid Macro Pressure?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles were mostly consumer-interest pieces about how to save money at McDonald’s or how its products taste, which add brand visibility but are unlikely to materially affect fundamentals. How To Find the Cheapest McDonald’s Wherever You Are
• Negative Sentiment: One recent article highlights that Burger King breakfast sandwiches may outperform McDonald’s on a key advantage, reinforcing competitive pressure in breakfast and value-focused traffic. Burger King breakfast sandwiches outshine McDonald’s every time with one big advantage
• Negative Sentiment: There is also scrutiny around McDonald’s new AI drive-thru testing after a prior system was removed in 2024 due to ordering errors, which could raise questions about execution risk if rollout issues persist. McDonald’s is testing a new AI drive-thru system after removing its previous one in 2024 over order errors

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.