Legal & General Group Plc Cuts Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Legal & General Group Plc reduced its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,679,221 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 78,746 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $1,430,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Viking Global Investors LP increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 36.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,336,155,000 after buying an additional 1,179,244 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in McDonald’s by 111.3% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in McDonald’s by 927.5% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 827,547 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $251,483,000 after buying an additional 927,547 shares during the period. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 766.5% during the 3rd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 885,629 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $269,134,000 after buying an additional 783,416 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.86 per share, reinforcing its appeal as a dependable income stock and signaling ongoing confidence in cash generation. McDONALD’S ANNOUNCES QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighted McDonald’s efforts to refresh its menu and customer experience, including new beverage additions, AI-driven drive-thru concepts, and other innovation-focused changes that could support traffic and sales. McDonald’s CEO shares major beverage menu additions
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s confirmed plans for a restaurant in historic Castlemaine, a small expansion item that is unlikely to materially move the stock on its own. McDonald’s confirms plan for restaurant in historic Castlemaine
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary suggested McDonald’s investment story is shifting as growth and valuation expectations are reset, which reflects changing sentiment rather than a clear operational surprise. Why The McDonald’s (MCD) Investment Story Is Shifting As Analysts Reset Growth And Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Articles about “shrinkflation” and smaller McNuggets could pressure sentiment if consumers view McDonald’s as offering less value, potentially weighing on brand perception. Shrinkflation hits McDonald’s as customers say McNuggets are half the size they used to be
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting that customers are divided on McDonald’s specialty drinks suggests product experimentation may not be universally resonating yet. Why McDonald’s Customers Are Divided On Its Specialty Drinks

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.72, for a total value of $100,805.76. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,442,042.24. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,585 shares of company stock worth $1,769,209. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $282.48 on Monday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $271.98 and a 52 week high of $341.75. The company’s 50 day moving average is $299.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $309.34. The company has a market cap of $200.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.43.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion for 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 61.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Evercore set a $350.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, May 8th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $330.00 to $300.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective 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. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $334.45.

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.