J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Purchases 9,267 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 4.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 216,127 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,267 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up approximately 1.1% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $67,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Peterson Wealth Services grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 3,294.5% during the 4th quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 11,779 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,600,000 after buying an additional 11,432 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 84.4% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 35,510 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,853,000 after buying an additional 16,252 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Sarl lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 64,256 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $19,639,000 after buying an additional 6,079 shares in the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,493,000. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 21,487 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 3,866 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

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

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of McDonald’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 transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was 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 owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. The trade was a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 8,681 shares of company stock worth $2,456,440 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore set a $350.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Cfra raised shares of McDonald’s to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $334.96.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.1%

MCD opened at $274.93 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.67, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $278.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $301.75. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $264.53 and a 12-month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.91 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

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.