Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Has $68.82 Million Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 16.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 226,476 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,649 shares during the quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $68,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WD Rutherford LLC raised its stake in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $991,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Symmetry Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owned 2,291 shares in the company, valued at $763,567.39. This trade represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 74,143 shares of company stock valued at $24,517,724 in the last quarter. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of MCD opened at $326.41 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $283.47 and a twelve month high of $341.75. The stock 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 has a 50 day moving average of $320.28 and a 200-day moving average of $311.51.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Key Stories Impacting 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?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating 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, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $339.69.

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.