Maridea Wealth Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Maridea Wealth Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 78.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,857 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 6,714 shares during the quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $577,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Crown Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the first quarter worth about $211,000. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 0.7% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 16,272 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,057,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 1.3% during the first quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 215,074 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $66,843,000 after purchasing an additional 2,845 shares during the period. Retirement Planning Group LLC NY lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC NY now owns 817 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J2 Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc now owns 1,840 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $572,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 11,307 shares of company stock valued at $3,262,622 in the last quarter. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised McDonald’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $260.00 to $306.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Evercore set a $350.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $336.26.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is drawing attention for menu-driven buzz, including the return of its fried apple pie and coverage around World Cup collectible cups, which can help traffic, social engagement, and near-term sales. We Tried It: A Visit to McDonald’s 35-Foot Fried Apple Pie Along Rte 66
• Positive Sentiment: The company is also expanding and modernizing, including a new Howard City location and a broader “McDonald’s NEXT” push focused on automation, digital ordering, better food quality, and improved franchise economics. McDonald’s opens first Howard City location
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentary says lower oil prices are helping restaurant stocks broadly, easing consumer wallet pressure and lifting quick-service dining names like McDonald’s. Jack in the Box and First Watch Stocks Trade Up, What You Need To Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that McDonald’s is relying on China expansion to support long-term growth, but macro pressure and regional volatility are still weighing on near-term trends. Can McDonald’s China Expansion Support IDL Growth Amid Macro Pressure?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles were mostly consumer-interest pieces about how to save money at McDonald’s or how its products taste, which add brand visibility but are unlikely to materially affect fundamentals. How To Find the Cheapest McDonald’s Wherever You Are
• Negative Sentiment: One recent article highlights that Burger King breakfast sandwiches may outperform McDonald’s on a key advantage, reinforcing competitive pressure in breakfast and value-focused traffic. Burger King breakfast sandwiches outshine McDonald’s every time with one big advantage
• Negative Sentiment: There is also scrutiny around McDonald’s new AI drive-thru testing after a prior system was removed in 2024 due to ordering errors, which could raise questions about execution risk if rollout issues persist. McDonald’s is testing a new AI drive-thru system after removing its previous one in 2024 over order errors

McDonald’s Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $270.21 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $283.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $304.54. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $264.53 and a 52 week high of $341.75. The company has a market capitalization of $191.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.34%.

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.