Moody National Bank Trust Division Sells 1,947 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Moody National Bank Trust Division lessened its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 15.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,663 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 1,947 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter worth $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 29,382.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 171.7% during 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. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 96.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 4,032,676 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,188,147,000 after buying an additional 1,974,751 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in 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 valued at $1,336,155,000 after buying an additional 1,179,244 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $307.81 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $218.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.51. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $283.47 and a 52 week high of $341.75. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $321.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $311.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The company’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.83 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.26%.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: K‑pop/Netflix collaboration — McDonald’s rolled out “KPop Demon Hunters” meals and branded merchandise in a high‑profile tie‑in with Netflix, targeting younger, global audiences and boosting limited‑time traffic and social buzz. This is a low‑capex marketing play that can drive short‑term transactions and brand relevance. McDonald’s and Netflix team up for all-new ‘KPop Demon Hunters’-inspired meals
• Positive Sentiment: Automation pilot — McDonald’s is testing humanoid robots (Shanghai) for serving, greeting and clearing trays. If pilots scale, automation could reduce labor costs and improve throughput in tight labor markets, supporting margins over time. McDonald’s (MCD) Tests Humanoid Robots at Shanghai Restaurant Location
• Neutral Sentiment: Product mix strategy showing mixed returns — the Big Arch premium burger is delivering a modest traffic bump while value menu pushes remain the chain’s traffic driver; this suggests management is balancing margin protection with traffic retention, but gains are incremental. McDonald’s Big Arch provides a modest traffic bump
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing nostalgia and kid‑menu promotions (e.g., Super Mario Happy Meal, returning menu items) are steady marketing tools that sustain engagement but typically produce short‑lived sales lifts. McDonald’s Is Bringing Back the Menu Item That Sold Out in Days
• Neutral Sentiment: Franchise health anecdote — coverage of long‑time employees becoming owners highlights the franchise model’s resilience and local operator pipeline, a slow‑moving positive for unit economics but not an immediate stock mover. Ana Sanchez becomes McDonald’s owner in Mid‑Michigan after 20‑year career
• Negative Sentiment: Limited‑time offers losing punch — industry analysis shows LTOs are generating smaller sales lifts than in prior years, which could blunt the impact of big promotional tie‑ins (including the K‑pop meals) and pressure marketing ROI. So Much Meat, So Little Time: Limited-Time Offers May Have Lost Sizzle
• Negative Sentiment: Pricing sensitivity — reports that the Big Arch burger approaches $13 in some states underscore regional price pushback risk; elevated localized prices can attract scrutiny and weigh on same‑store sales in price‑sensitive markets. McDonald’s Big Arch reaches nearly $13 in one state

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $354.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Seventeen 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total transaction of $854,106.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.