McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Holdings Trimmed by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel trimmed its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 61,285 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 23,200 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $14,153,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Net Worth Advisory Group grew its position in McDonald’s by 31.6% during the third quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 3,164 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 759 shares in the last quarter. Lakeside Advisors INC. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lakeside Advisors INC. now owns 3,873 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $894,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 354,816 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $81,941,000 after purchasing an additional 1,451 shares during the last quarter. Midway Capital Research & Management grew its stake in McDonald’s by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Midway Capital Research & Management now owns 7,998 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,847,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jeppson Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 14.9% in the third quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,260 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $984,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $290.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Daiwa Securities Group cut their target price on McDonald’s from $309.00 to $293.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Gordon Haskett reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $315.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. KeyCorp decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $295.00 to $250.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $295.94.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS said McDonald’s “NEXT” growth strategy and value initiatives could outweigh near-term U.S. weakness, positioning the company to gain global market share in 2027. McDonald’s NEXT Plan, Value Push Seen Outweighing Near-Term US Weakness, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s dividend yield is reportedly near multiyear highs while its valuation is near multiyear lows. Investors focused on income may also be attracted by the prospect of qualifying for the company’s first payout as a Dividend King, although lackluster same-store sales remain a risk. 3 Reasons to Own McDonald’s Stock by Dec. 1 to Qualify for Its First Payout as a Dividend King
• Positive Sentiment: Disney-themed Halloween Boo Buckets and a new Disney collectible Happy Meal are launching October 20, potentially supporting limited-time traffic and family engagement. Disney Inspired Boo Buckets Available at McDonald’s
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are looking ahead to third-quarter earnings after MCD declined 21% in 2026, making the report and management’s outlook important catalysts for the stock’s longer-term direction. McDonald’s Stock Is Down 21% in 2026 Heading Into Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley highlighted a potential pricing-power problem as lower-income customers pull back, raising concerns that further price increases could hurt traffic and sales. McDonald’s Appears to Have a Pricing-Power Problem
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of alleged menu-pricing practices involving McDonald’s and Deloitte, along with a separate lawsuit alleging the use of AI to optimize customer charges, create potential reputational and legal overhang. McDonald’s, Deloitte Under Fire Over Alleged Menu Pricing Scheme
• Negative Sentiment: Cordatus Wealth Management cut its MCD holdings by 59.9% in the third quarter. While one institution’s sale is not conclusive, it adds modest selling pressure and may reinforce investor caution. McDonald’s Corporation Shares Sold by Cordatus Wealth Management

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD traded up $3.40 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $246.07. The stock had a trading volume of 2,376,062 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,262,979. The firm has a market capitalization of $174.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.44. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $251.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $271.35. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $229.20 and a 1-year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 572.06% and a net margin of 31.72%. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.19 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $1.93 per share. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $7.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 60.44%.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corporation is a global quick-service restaurant company that operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand. Its restaurants serve a menu that includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, breakfast items, desserts, salads, beverages and coffee. Offerings vary by market, and many locations provide drive-thru service, delivery and digital ordering through the McDonald’s mobile app.

The company operates through a heavily franchised business model, with restaurants owned and operated by independent franchisees, affiliates and the company itself.