McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Bought by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 3.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 249,780 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,285 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $75,906,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 29,382.3% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,676,339,000 after acquiring an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,412,069,000. Viking Global Investors LP raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 171.7% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $913,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974,998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,974,751 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total transaction of $854,106.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. This represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of McDonald’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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,169,430. This represents a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 31,439 shares of company stock worth $9,772,464 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and momentum — McDonald’s reported stronger-than-expected Q4 results (revenue ~ $7.0B, EPS beat, systemwide comps up ~5.7% with U.S. comps ~6.8%) and cited loyalty growth that helped drive sales and margins; this is the primary bullish catalyst supporting the stock. Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets — Several firms raised ratings/targets (Argus upgraded to Buy with a $380 target; Truist/BTIG raised targets toward ~$370), which can support further upside as sentiment shifts. Analyst Upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Buyback/dividend tailwind — Coverage notes that strong cash flow from Q4 and a healthy dividend yield support continued buybacks and payouts, a structural catalyst for EPS per-share gains over time. Buybacks & Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotions/brand buzz — Seasonal items and PR stunts (Shamrock Shake, McNugget kits) are driving traffic and media attention; helpful for short-term comps but likely temporary. Promotions
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — A disclosed sale by a senior U.S. executive (Form 4) may have added to near-term selling pressure as some investors lock in gains after the earnings pop. Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee execution risk — Reports of tension between corporate pricing/value pushes and some franchisees could complicate uniform execution and margins across markets, a potential headwind if disputes persist. Franchisee Tensions

McDonald’s Stock Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $327.58 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $313.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $308.30. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $335.67. The company has a market capitalization of $233.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its 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. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their price target on McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho upped their target price on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $337.04.

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.