McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas lowered its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 41.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 103,868 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 73,115 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s accounts for approximately 2.7% of Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ holdings in McDonald’s were worth $31,564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. WD Rutherford LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $991,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.1% during the third quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 0.3% in the third quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,352,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 2.0% in the third quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $538,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.4% in the third quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $736,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its price target to $354 and kept an “overweight” rating, implying roughly mid-single-digit upside from current levels and signaling analyst confidence in MCD’s growth and margin durability. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large options activity: traders bought ~80,687 call options on Monday (up ~433% vs. average), suggesting some market participants are positioning for upside or a catalyst in the near term.
• Positive Sentiment: Menu momentum from the new Big Arch burger and other promotions is being framed by analysts as a sales uplift and valuation tailwind—investors see product extensions as supporting comparable-store sales and pricing power. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Value promotions (e.g., $1 Egg McMuffin offers) and an explicit focus on core value messaging can help traffic and comps in a cost-sensitive consumer environment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market-watchers noted MCD traded in a “buy zone” during the recent sell-off, which may attract value-oriented buyers if broader market weakness continues. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive and industry context: Taco Bell and other chains are reshaping menus and order flows; this keeps price and product innovation central to share dynamics but doesn’t change McDonald’s structural advantages. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader industry cost commentary (e.g., Dutch Bros flagging front‑loaded coffee COGS) highlights input‑cost volatility for restaurant operators; McDonald’s scale and pricing power reduce but don’t eliminate exposure. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: PR headwinds after a viral video of CEO Christopher Kempczinski awkwardly tasting the Big Arch burger generated mocking headlines and social media attention; while publicity can boost awareness, short-term sentiment could be dented by negative coverage of leadership and product reception. Article Title

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.43, for a total transaction of $110,033.19. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,733 shares in the company, valued at $2,885,645.19. The trade was a 3.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares in the company, valued at $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,517 shares of company stock valued at $23,655,503. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer upgraded McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price target on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Erste Group Bank upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $338.07.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $331.68 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $235.63 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.51. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $317.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $310.64.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.26%.

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.