Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Increases Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 1.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 143,679 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,848 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $44,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $2,890,438,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 30,979.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,596,340 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $806,917,000 after buying an additional 2,587,986 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP lifted its position in McDonald’s by 9,867.5% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 2,541,008 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $776,608,000 after buying an additional 2,515,515 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its position in McDonald’s by 171.7% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $913,157,000 after buying an additional 1,974,998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 111.3% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,071,296 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $629,446,000 after buying an additional 1,090,849 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.6%

MCD stock traded down $1.56 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $274.93. The company had a trading volume of 2,978,722 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,490,551. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $264.53 and a 52 week high of $341.75. The stock has a market cap of $195.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.67, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $278.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $301.85.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. Analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd were paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.34%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total transaction of $769,108.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total value of $1,493,248.64. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 8,681 shares of company stock worth $2,456,440 over the last three months. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Evercore set a $350.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $331.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Cfra raised shares of McDonald’s to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $334.96.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is leaning into beverages with a new custom drink push, including a Dirty Dr. Pepper-style offering, which could help drive traffic and lift average ticket sizes as chains compete for drink sales. McDonald’s Dirty Dr. Pepper Leads Its New Custom Drink Push
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is also using promotions and limited-time offers, including free fries for National French Fry Day and a BT21 Happy Meal rollout, to support customer engagement and near-term sales momentum. Free fries article BT21 Happy Meals article
• Positive Sentiment: Some recent commentary suggests McDonald’s remains a defensible consumer name, with analysts and market writers highlighting its cash generation, brand strength, and potential to benefit from event-driven marketing around the FIFA World Cup. FIFA World Cup growth strategy article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle pieces about ordering hacks, retro campaigns, and menu combinations are generating buzz, but these appear more like brand-interest stories than material stock drivers. Filet-O-Fish and Snack Wrap article Ordering hack article Vinyl record campaign article
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s has also been the subject of mixed third-party coverage comparing it with other consumer names and discussing macro risks, but these articles do not signal a clear company-specific catalyst on their own. McDonald’s or Pfizer article Index exit and oil shock article
• Negative Sentiment: A Deutsche Bank note says McDonald’s U.S. comparable sales likely hit a new low in the second quarter, reinforcing worries that traffic and same-store sales may be weakening. US sales likely hit new low article
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market pieces also note that McDonald’s has been registering bigger daily declines than the broader market, suggesting investors remain cautious heading into upcoming sales and earnings-related updates. Registers a bigger fall than the market article

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.