Highland Capital Management LLC Purchases 3,196 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Highland Capital Management LLC raised its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 70.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,729 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 3,196 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in McDonald’s by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,331,031 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $20,840,787,000 after purchasing an additional 921,936 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,828,352 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,175,800,000 after purchasing an additional 272,139 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,828,420 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $4,901,595,000 after buying an additional 276,065 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $2,780,712,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 29,382.3% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,676,339,000 after acquiring an additional 5,718,087 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 31st. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Mizuho raised McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $324.57.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $310.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $221.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.50, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $276.53 and a one year high of $326.32. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $308.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $304.06.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.48%.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights McDonald’s restaurant margin dollars topping $4B in Q3 2025, arguing the company’s scale and value strategy can still expand margins despite inflation and a pressured consumer — a direct bullish signal for profit leverage. Does McDonald’s $4B Margin Milestone Signal Model Durability?
• Positive Sentiment: Reporting says McDonald’s plans over 8,000 new locations and major technology upgrades — if executed, that accelerates franchised development fees, systemwide sales growth and long-term comp growth. McDonald’s 2026 expansion plans: Over 8,000 new locations and major technology upgrades coming
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage of planned drive-thru and in-restaurant changes for 2026 suggests operational improvements (speed, order accuracy, upsell) that can lift throughput and margins at scale. 4 changes coming to McDonald’s drive-thrus in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s Disney Happy Meal promotion and holiday menu/availability stories are routine marketing/seasonal items that support short-term traffic but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. How long will Disney Happy Meal be available at McDonald’s?
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets covered McDonald’s being open on Christmas and customer-facing changes for 2026 — background consumer-facing news that maintains brand visibility but has limited near-term EPS impact. 10 changes coming to McDonald’s in 2026 that customers need to know
• Neutral Sentiment: A playful Dogecoin tweet calling out businesses that don’t accept DOGE is social-media noise rather than a catalyst for material payment adoption or revenue change. Dogecoin Account Wants You To Tag ‘Naughty’ Businesses That Won’t Take The Good Boy
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that a Minneapolis location locked doors to keep out individuals deemed a safety risk raise operational and reputational concerns in specific markets; localized safety issues can pressure sales and require extra store-level costs. McDonald’s locks doors to keep out individuals who present a risk in crime-ridden Minneapolis area
• Negative Sentiment: Lingering macro/near-term pressure: McDonald’s last quarterly report (Nov 5) showed a slight EPS and revenue miss, which remains a selling point for investors awaiting clearer margin/growth guidance.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the company’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,861,832.16. This represents a 34.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090 in the last three months. 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.