SageGuard Financial Group LLC Takes $11.15 Million Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

SageGuard Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 36,466 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $11,145,000. McDonald’s accounts for 1.8% of SageGuard Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MCD. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 171.7% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $913,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974,998 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 36.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,179,244 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 111.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,090,849 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 927.5% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 827,547 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $251,483,000 after acquiring an additional 927,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 766.5% in the third quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 885,629 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $269,134,000 after acquiring an additional 783,416 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Seventeen 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.38.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD stock opened at $306.91 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $319.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $311.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The company’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.22 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS says McDonald’s upcoming $3 value menu should support traffic and reinforce McDonald’s value positioning, a near-term sales tailwind that Wall Street views favorably. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts note McDonald’s will report Q1 results soon; consensus expects single‑digit EPS growth, so market reaction will hinge on restaurant-level trends and April comps rather than a big earnings upside surprise. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage shows broker sentiment is mixed — the average brokerage rating sits at “Hold,” suggesting limited near-term upgrade momentum even as some firms remain constructive. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc trimmed its price target from $354 to $345 and warned of a volatile outlook for 2026; while it kept an Overweight rating, the lower target signals caution about growth drivers and could pressure sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reports note today’s share decline and attribute it to analyst-driven positioning and broader market moves; that short-term selling reflects sensitivity to guidance/comp trends ahead of the print. Read More.

Insider Activity

In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,291 shares in the company, valued at approximately $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,723,307. 0.26% of the stock is 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.