McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Acquired by HS Management Partners LLC

HS Management Partners LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 123,062 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,648 shares during the period. McDonald’s comprises 4.9% of HS Management Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. HS Management Partners LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $37,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 142.9% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Nova Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently 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: 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $372.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $328.68.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total transaction of $977,094.90. Following the sale, the insider owned 6,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,861,832.16. The trade was a 34.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,169,430. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090 over the last three months. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

McDonald’s Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of MCD opened at $308.92 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $220.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $276.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $307.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.66.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.23 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

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

McDonald’s 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.