GC Wealth Management RIA LLC Cuts Holdings in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

GC Wealth Management RIA LLC cut its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 36.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,142 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 6,294 shares during the period. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $3,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,351,127 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $22,112,675,000 after acquiring an additional 703,458 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,024,857 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,643,704,000 after acquiring an additional 196,505 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,757,967 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,445,899,000 after acquiring an additional 286,284 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,422,014 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,343,501,000 after acquiring an additional 21,168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 36.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,336,155,000 after buying an additional 1,179,244 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Price Performance

McDonald’s stock opened at $292.55 on Wednesday. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $283.47 and a one year high of $341.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $207.95 billion, a PE ratio of 24.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s fifty day moving average is $315.71 and its 200 day moving average is $312.01.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.21 EPS 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 given a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total value of $854,106.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at $1,755,699.50. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 71,990 shares of company stock worth $23,824,113 over the last ninety days. 0.26% 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: McDonald’s is rolling out a U.S. launch of six crafted beverages (refreshers and sodas) on May 6 to capture higher-margin beverage spend and compete with specialty coffee chains; this product push could lift average check and beverage mix. McDonald’s introduces first-ever lineup of refreshers, crafted sodas
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed a buy and set a $370 price target, reflecting bullish conviction from at least one institutional analyst and signaling upside vs. current levels. Benzinga Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector tailwinds: a Canada foodservice market report forecasts multi‑year growth in QSR and digital ordering, a supportive backdrop for chains including McDonald’s but not specific to MCD’s near-term results. Canada Foodservice Market Report Forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand and promo activity (Stranger Things Happy Meal, viral CEO moments, menu retrospectives) keeps McDonald’s top-of-mind and aids traffic intermittently but are short-term marketing effects rather than structural earnings drivers. McDonald’s x Stranger Things Happy Meal
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst actions are weighing on the stock: Erste Group trimmed its FY2026 EPS forecast slightly and moved the stock from buy to hold, signaling more cautious near‑term expectations for growth/valuation. Erste estimate change / MarketBeat Finviz (coverage note)
• Negative Sentiment: Customer perception risk: early coverage criticizes the new McValue menu as underwhelming, which could blunt traffic gains if customers perceive weaker value despite product refreshes. Why McDonald’s New McValue Menu Is Not The Deal Customers Were Hoping For
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: several news items and analyst moves coincided with a ~3% intraday pullback reported in recent sessions, reflecting investor sensitivity to guidance and sentiment shifts. McDonald’s (MCD) Stock Sinks As Market Gains

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $340.93.

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.