Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Buys 13,875 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 17.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 92,342 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,875 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $28,044,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,647,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $21,773,010,000 after buying an additional 316,638 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 0.8% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,828,352 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $10,175,800,000 after acquiring an additional 272,139 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 29,382.3% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Finally, Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,412,069,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target to $385 and reiterated a Buy, citing McDonald’s multi‑year growth strategy and brand strength — a clear analyst endorsement that supports upside to the stock. Tigress Financial Upgrades McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) Price Target, Highlights Multi-Year Growth Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Value menu push: McDonald’s is rolling out $3 value items and $4 breakfast deals in the U.S. starting in April to win back price‑sensitive customers — a traffic‑driving move that could boost visit frequency if franchisees and consumers adopt it. McDonald’s to launch new $3 value items in US starting April, WSJ reports
• Positive Sentiment: Digital/loyalty tailwinds: Management cites a large loyalty base and digital tools as drivers for higher visit frequency and better targeted promotions — structural levers for revenue per user and margin expansion over time. Can MCD’s Digital Ecosystem Turn Loyalty Into Higher Visit Frequency?
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and product noise: Viral moments (CEO burger video → memes) and new product reviews (e.g., Big Arch) keep brand relevance and social buzz high but are unlikely to move fundamentals immediately. How McDonald’s CEO’s viral burger video turned memes into money
• Neutral Sentiment: Menu coverage / consumer perception: Media attention on affordability and menu mix helps narrative but the actual impact depends on execution and unit economics. McDonald’s Plans New $3 Menu, in Latest Bid to Win Customers With Better Deals
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Executive Joseph Erlinger disclosed a sale of 2,626 shares (~$862k). While routine insider sales aren’t always predictive, they can be interpreted as a mild negative signal by some investors. Insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term dampener: Analysts and commentary note the stock is down since earnings (some profit‑taking and valuation debates persist), which can cap near‑term upside until fresh evidence of traffic/margin improvement appears. Why Is McDonald’s (MCD) Down 2.5% Since Last Earnings Report?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total transaction of $862,220.84. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,867,393.22. This represents a 23.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 74,143 shares of company stock worth $24,517,724. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCD has been the topic of several analyst reports. BTIG Research upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 target price on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $339.69.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $326.41 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $231.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $320.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $311.51. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $283.47 and a one year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.83 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.26%.

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.