Holocene Advisors LP Takes Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 379,783 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $115,412,000. Holocene Advisors LP owned about 0.05% of McDonald’s at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 162.5% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Miller Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total transaction of $8,764,097.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,638,066. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 74,143 shares of company stock worth $24,517,724 over the last 90 days. 0.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target to $385 and reiterated a Buy, citing McDonald’s multi‑year growth strategy and brand strength — a clear analyst endorsement that supports upside to the stock. Tigress Financial Upgrades McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) Price Target, Highlights Multi-Year Growth Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Value menu push: McDonald’s is rolling out $3 value items and $4 breakfast deals in the U.S. starting in April to win back price‑sensitive customers — a traffic‑driving move that could boost visit frequency if franchisees and consumers adopt it. McDonald’s to launch new $3 value items in US starting April, WSJ reports
• Positive Sentiment: Digital/loyalty tailwinds: Management cites a large loyalty base and digital tools as drivers for higher visit frequency and better targeted promotions — structural levers for revenue per user and margin expansion over time. Can MCD’s Digital Ecosystem Turn Loyalty Into Higher Visit Frequency?
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and product noise: Viral moments (CEO burger video → memes) and new product reviews (e.g., Big Arch) keep brand relevance and social buzz high but are unlikely to move fundamentals immediately. How McDonald’s CEO’s viral burger video turned memes into money
• Neutral Sentiment: Menu coverage / consumer perception: Media attention on affordability and menu mix helps narrative but the actual impact depends on execution and unit economics. McDonald’s Plans New $3 Menu, in Latest Bid to Win Customers With Better Deals
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Executive Joseph Erlinger disclosed a sale of 2,626 shares (~$862k). While routine insider sales aren’t always predictive, they can be interpreted as a mild negative signal by some investors. Insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term dampener: Analysts and commentary note the stock is down since earnings (some profit‑taking and valuation debates persist), which can cap near‑term upside until fresh evidence of traffic/margin improvement appears. Why Is McDonald’s (MCD) Down 2.5% Since Last Earnings Report?

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.8%

MCD opened at $326.41 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $231.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 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’s 50 day moving average is $320.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.51.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Seventeen research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $339.69.

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.