Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 50.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,698 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,249 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter worth about $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 29,382.3% during the second 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 purchasing an additional 5,718,087 shares during the period. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,412,069,000. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 96.0% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 4,032,676 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,188,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,751 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target substantially to $372 and kept an overweight rating, signaling stronger analyst confidence and providing upside to the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an overweight rating on MCD, supporting continued buy-side interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen maintained a “hold” with a $320 target (small upside vs. current levels), a reminder some analysts see more moderate near-term returns. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s announced new and returning global menu items for 2026 (including promotional tie-ins like Pokémon Happy Meals and returning Pokémon cards), which can boost traffic and seasonal sales. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Specific marketing promos—Pokémon Happy Meals and collectible cards—are confirmed for 2026, a low-cost demand driver that typically lifts transactions and visit frequency. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is changing its drive-thrus (operational changes could improve throughput and margins but require rollout and capex). Investors should watch execution and cost timing. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Local store-level activity: a Biltmore McDonald’s grand opening drew attention but is a small, localized sales event. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple lawsuits allege misleading McRib ingredients (claims about offal/pork heart/tripe), raising reputational and potential litigation risk that could pressure same-store sales or incur legal costs if escalated. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Follow-up reporting details the suit’s ingredient allegations in depth; investors should monitor legal filings and any regulatory attention. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Unions accuse McDonald’s of repeated harassment of largely teenage staff—labor and PR headwinds that could increase scrutiny and potential costs if organizing or fines follow. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total transaction of $977,094.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 6,088 shares in the company, valued at $1,861,832.16. This represents a 34.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 13,134 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.42, for a total value of $3,945,716.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,383,734.52. This trade represents a 74.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.6%

MCD opened at $308.92 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $276.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $307.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.66. The company has a market capitalization of $220.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MCD. Citigroup lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Barclays increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $358.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho raised shares of McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. BTIG Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $328.68.

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.