Guardian Capital LP Has $33.56 Million Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Guardian Capital LP raised its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 14.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 110,436 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,028 shares during the period. McDonald’s comprises about 1.1% of Guardian Capital LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Guardian Capital LP’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $33,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 142.9% in the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares in the company, valued at $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.43, for a total value of $110,033.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,885,645.19. This represents a 3.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 71,517 shares of company stock valued at $23,655,503 over the last quarter. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target on MCD to $385 and kept a “buy” rating, implying roughly 17% upside from the current price — a direct bullish signal from an analyst that can drive buying interest. Street Insider: PT Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Capgemini extended its technology partnership with McDonald’s for five years to modernize restaurants and accelerate digital features — supports efficiency, digital sales growth and execution of the “Accelerating the Arches” strategy. Capgemini partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic expansion plan: analyst coverage (Zacks) highlights MCD’s target of ~50,000 restaurants by 2027 with 2,600 openings planned for 2026 — accelerates unit-driven revenue potential and global footprint growth. Zacks: 50K restaurant target
• Positive Sentiment: Brand & merchandising lift: Crocs x Happy Meal collaboration and revived Happy Meal partnerships drive PR and collectible demand that can boost traffic and AUVs in limited windows. Crocs Happy Meal collab
• Neutral Sentiment: Local development: planning for a third McDonald’s in Collierville, TN — incremental local growth but immaterial to companywide fundamentals. Collierville restaurant plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend narratives continue to feature MCD among reliable payers — supports longer‑term investor interest but is not an immediate price catalyst. Dividend stocks article
• Negative Sentiment: Product/PR risk from Big Arch launch — the nationwide rollout and a viral 13‑second CEO taste‑test video produced heavy attention but mixed consumer reviews and social backlash; competitors (Burger King, Wendy’s) have publicly trolled the clip. That creates short‑term reputational noise and raises the risk that the premium product may not sustain lift if consumer reception or value perception proves weak. Big Arch coverage

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of MCD stock opened at $328.22 on Friday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $283.47 and a 1 year high of $341.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $318.21 and its 200-day moving average is $311.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.47, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.51.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.83 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. Oppenheimer raised shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.69.

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.