Insider Selling: McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Insider Sells 2,626 Shares of Stock

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) insider Joseph Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.34, for a total transaction of $862,220.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,733 shares in the company, valued at $2,867,393.22. This represents a 23.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.9%

MCD stock traded down $2.80 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $325.14. 1,158,730 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,361,510. The company has a market capitalization of $230.98 billion, a PE ratio of 27.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $319.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $311.25. McDonald’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $283.47 and a twelve month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The business’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Digital/loyalty traction: McDonald’s loyalty platform is nearing ~210M active users and the company is targeting 250M members by 2027 — stronger digital engagement is driving higher visit frequency and allows targeted promotions and higher-margin mix over time. Can MCD’s Digital Ecosystem Turn Loyalty Into Higher Visit Frequency?
• Positive Sentiment: Reinforcing digital strategy: analysts highlight the 210M-user milestone as a structural growth lever — loyalty data can improve marketing ROI, menu personalization and upsell opportunities that support long-term sales and margins. Will McDonald’s 210M Loyalty Users Fuel Long-Term Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Product/brand marketing initiatives continue to support top-line: new spring menu items and branded tie-ins (Cadbury, Crocs Happy Meal) are generating consumer buzz and short-term traffic boosts, but are unlikely to change margins materially. McDonald’s just unveiled its new spring menu — Cadbury products will send fans wild McDonald’s rolls out Crocs Happy Meal
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and analyst commentary: coverage questioning whether recent gains fully reflect fundamentals keeps some investors cautious; this is background noise versus immediate operational news. Is McDonald’s (MCD) Share Price Justified After Recent Gains And Mixed Valuation Signals
• Negative Sentiment: New value push could pressure margins: WSJ reports McDonald’s will introduce a lower-priced value menu ($3 or less) and new $4 breakfast meal deals to reclaim a “value” image — investors may be selling on concerns that deeper discounting will boost traffic but squeeze operating margins and profit per customer. McDonald’s Preps New Discounts to Feed Budget-Minded Diners for $3 or Less
• Neutral Sentiment: Pop-culture and brand stories (celebrity orders, product origin pieces) keep brand relevance high but are unlikely to move the stock materially. Examples: AOL and MSN lifestyle/features. “Love Island” Star Olandria Carthen Reveals Her Go-To McDonald’s Order

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus upgraded shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $339.69.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,286 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,649 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,942 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,017 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $589,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. United Bank increased its position in shares of McDonald’s by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 8,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,367,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 12,938 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,780,000 after buying an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

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.