SG Americas Securities LLC Increases Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 3,159.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 570,606 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 553,100 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 0.08% of McDonald’s worth $174,394,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in 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 valued at $1,676,339,000 after acquiring an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP increased its stake in 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 worth $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Amundi increased its stake in McDonald’s by 96.0% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 4,032,676 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,188,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,751 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 36.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,336,155,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,244 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total value of $8,764,097.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,638,066. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,867,393.22. This represents a 23.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204 over the last quarter. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rolling out value items ($3 or less) and $4 breakfast deals in the U.S., plus a Mario Happy Meal tie‑in, is designed to boost traffic and repeat visits amid consumer cost sensitivity — a near‑term demand catalyst. McDonald’s Value Push And Mario Tie In Versus Recent Share Weakness
• Positive Sentiment: Reviving a 36‑year‑old Happy Meal toy collaboration signals brand engagement and promotional lift for kids’ traffic, complementing the Mario campaign. McDonald’s revives 36-year-old fan-favorite Happy Meal toy collab
• Positive Sentiment: The premium “Big Arch” burger is producing a modest traffic bump and is positioned to protect margins while value items drive visits — a two‑pronged pricing/mix strategy that can support revenue and profit per transaction. McDonald’s Big Arch provides a modest traffic bump
• Positive Sentiment: Testing humanoid robots in a Shanghai location signals a push on automation that could lower labor costs and improve throughput in the medium term if scaled successfully. McDonald’s (MCD) Tests Humanoid Robots at Shanghai Restaurant Location
• Neutral Sentiment: Large state‑by‑state price differences highlight local pricing flexibility and franchised variability — this shows pricing power in some markets but inconsistent consumer pricing experience elsewhere. McDonald’s Big Arch—Drastic Price Differences Across States
• Neutral Sentiment: Practical consumer stories (cash‑only rules, niche menu items, food features) drive brand conversation but have limited direct impact on fundamentals. The McDonald’s cash-only rule you need to know about
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/asset‑allocation pieces comparing beaten‑down blue chips (Home Depot vs. McDonald’s) may influence flows but reflect relative valuation/portfolio choice rather than company‑specific news. Home Depot vs McDonald’s: Which Beaten-Down Blue Chip Is the Better Buy Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting “menu missteps” argues that inconsistent or poorly received menu changes could force a strategy reset — a risk to sales mix and margins if McDonald’s needs to overhaul offerings or promotions. McDonald’s latest menu missteps could force a new menu strategy

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on MCD. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $308.26 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $321.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $311.57. The firm has a market cap of $218.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.51. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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