Cadence Bank Raises Stock Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Cadence Bank raised its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 18.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 43,545 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after buying an additional 6,830 shares during the quarter. McDonald’s makes up approximately 0.8% of Cadence Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Cadence Bank’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $13,309,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $43,606,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 317.2% during the 3rd quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,691,000 after purchasing an additional 14,506 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,533,015 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $465,868,000 after purchasing an additional 37,744 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,029,572 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $312,877,000 after purchasing an additional 51,039 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,697,000. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $354.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Guggenheim dropped 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 note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $334.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $340.93.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts have adjusted targets in the mid‑$300s (some raised), reflecting continued confidence in McDonald’s long‑term growth and prompting debate over how much upside remains. This support from parts of the Street can buoy sentiment. How The McDonald’s (MCD) Investment Story Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Growth And Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: New product and marketing initiatives — including a major Stranger Things Happy Meal collaboration — provide short‑term traffic drivers and brand visibility that can help sales while cross‑promotions roll out. McDonald’s x Stranger Things Happy Meal
• Positive Sentiment: Product expansion efforts, like a new drinks menu aimed at capturing more beverage spend, could incrementally lift check sizes if adoption scales. Investors view beverage gains as a meaningful long‑term lever. McDonald’s takes aim at Starbucks with new drinks menu
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying was reported in a recent 13F (Advisors Capital Management increased holdings), a sign that some money managers are adding to positions. Holdings Increased by Advisors Capital Management
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are also reworking fair value and valuation assumptions (a very small fair‑value tweak was reported), highlighting that expectations are being recalibrated rather than radically shifted. This creates mixed signals for near‑term price moves. How The McDonald’s (MCD) Investment Story Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Growth And Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Various viral/consumer stories (CEO explaining a viral tiny‑burger bite, menu articles) are generating media buzz but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially. CEO explains viral tiny burger bite
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group downgraded MCD from “buy” to “hold,” a direct negative catalyst that can pressure sentiment and prompt short‑term selling. Finviz (Erste Group downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and outlets note a tougher operating backdrop—slowing customer traffic, softening sales and rising food costs—which raises near‑term margin and growth concerns for the restaurant sector and weighs on the stock. McDonald’s unveils new Happy Meal; operating challenges noted

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock opened at $290.45 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.31, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $283.47 and a one year high of $341.75. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $316.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $312.04.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.83 EPS. Research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.26%.

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.