Oak Thistle LLC Acquires 2,044 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Oak Thistle LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 35.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,831 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,044 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $2,393,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 84.1% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 141,775 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $41,422,000 after buying an additional 64,757 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 236.7% in the third quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,976,000 after acquiring an additional 4,571 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $43,606,000 after acquiring an additional 3,774 shares during the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter worth approximately $1,120,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 317.2% in the third quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,691,000 after acquiring an additional 14,506 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company is expanding its value push (McValue 2.0: under $3 items, $4 breakfast deals, and $5–$6 bundles), which should support traffic and same‑store sales resilience in a tighter consumer environment. Did McDonald’s New Value Menu and Pop Culture Deals Just Shift McDonald’s (MCD) Investment Narrative?
• Positive Sentiment: Pop‑culture promotions (KPop “Demon Hunters” meals) are driving hype and incremental spending — collectible cards are re‑selling for high prices, indicating strong demand and PR value. McDonald’s ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ cards are selling online for hundreds. What to know
• Positive Sentiment: Management and board adjustments signal operational focus and succession/leadership strengthening, which can support execution of the value and marketing strategy. McDonald’s strengthens leadership team
• Neutral Sentiment: Some menu experimentation is limited to select locations — could be incremental and hard to scale quickly, so impact on corporate performance is uncertain. McDonald’s shakes up menu with major changes – but only at certain locations
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer safety/operations note: McDonald’s won’t cook medium‑rare burgers (food‑safety/procedure explanation) — unlikely to affect demand materially but relevant to quality perceptions. You Can’t Order A Medium-Rare Burger At McDonald’s And There’s A Reason
• Negative Sentiment: Viral “Big Arch” CEO taste‑test clip has generated backlash and media scrutiny about tone and affordability messaging — reputational noise can pressure near‑term sentiment and foot traffic if not contained. The Economic Divide Behind That McDonald’s CEO Viral Video
• Negative Sentiment: CEO has been in damage‑control mode (first on‑camera remarks), but continued coverage keeps the story front‑and‑center and may weigh on sentiment until the issue fades. McDonald’s CEO speaks to media for first time since his viral taste test video
• Negative Sentiment: Operational risk in the franchise system: a rival franchisee filing Chapter 11 (65 restaurants at risk) highlights sector‑level pressures that could spill over into franchised operations and competitive dynamics. McDonald’s rival franchisee files Chapter 11, 65 restaurants at risk

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $304.64 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $283.47 and a one year high of $341.75. The company has a market cap of $216.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $321.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.69.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,291 shares in the company, valued at approximately $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus raised 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. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $340.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $339.69.

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.