McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Insider Joseph Erlinger Sells 2,626 Shares

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) insider Joseph Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.58, for a total value of $805,079.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,654,918.84. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $309.43 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $276.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $308.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $305.28. The company has a market cap of $220.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The company had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 162.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 142.9% during the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GFG Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst take: a recent Motley Fool piece argues MCD lagged 2025’s rally but could be close to a rare corporate milestone that would justify upside, making shares look attractive to some investors. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s Canada locked $5 meal pricing for a full year — a rare, consumer-friendly move that should support traffic and PR in a key market, though it may pressure short-term margins. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is expanding marketing promotions (Pokémon Happy Meal return) and new menu stunts (its biggest burger), both likely to drive traffic and incremental sales in the near term. Article Title Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Company-level initiatives: reports highlight a push to use AI across services and operations — a potential source of longer-term cost savings and efficiency gains that investors typically reward. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: International resilience noted by analysts: Zacks highlights that disciplined value, local marketing and scale are supporting comparable sales outside the U.S., helping offset broader QSR pressure. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Franchise partner news: Armada named new leaders for its McDonald’s business unit — organizational change that could affect go-to-market execution but is not a direct corporate earnings driver. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Product chatter: social and local media note new snack-wrap competition and consumer buzz—helpful for brand engagement but limited direct impact on near-term financials. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview: previews suggest McDonald’s upcoming quarterly report is expected to show single-digit bottom-line growth — a modest outlook that leaves room for beats or misses to move the stock. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: President of International Oper. Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares (~$805k) and trimmed his position by ~33%, a disclosure that some investors view as a negative signal about near-term insider conviction. SEC Filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MCD. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Oppenheimer raised McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on McDonald’s from $358.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $328.88.

About McDonald’s

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.