Danske Bank A S Cuts Stake in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Danske Bank A S lowered its position in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 20.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 353,420 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 90,619 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $108,016,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. increased 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 valued at $22,112,675,000 after purchasing an additional 703,458 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased 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 valued at $10,643,704,000 after purchasing an additional 196,505 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased 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 valued at $1,445,899,000 after purchasing an additional 286,284 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased 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 valued at $1,343,501,000 after purchasing an additional 21,168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 36.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,336,155,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179,244 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total transaction of $854,106.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. This trade represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MCD shares. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Tigress Financial increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $340.93.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is rolling out a national lineup of handcrafted drinks (including specialty “dirty sodas” and limited-edition Grimace Shake returns) as the company pushes beverages as a major growth opportunity — coverage frames this as a potential multi‑billion-dollar (even cited as a $100B) revenue opportunity that could boost average check and traffic if successful. McDonald’s Is Turning Drinks Into a $100 Billion Opportunity—Here’s What’s on the New Menu
• Positive Sentiment: Local and national press coverage of the new drink lineup and limited-edition merchandising (carriers, promotional items) is generating consumer buzz that may help near‑term comps and marketing ROI. These 6 new hand-crafted drinks are coming to McDonald’s nationwide
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes McDonald’s outpaced the broader market in today’s session — much of the move appears driven by the beverage rollout headlines and general investor rotation into consumer names. Why McDonald’s (MCD) Outpaced the Stock Market Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Arcos Dorados (ARCO), the largest McDonald’s franchisee in Latin America, filed its Form 20‑F — routine disclosure for a major regional operator; not an immediate indicator for MCD’s corporate fundamentals but relevant for LATAM exposure. Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. Announces the Filing of Its Annual Report on Form 20-F for Fiscal Year 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and market pieces asking whether to reassess McDonald’s after a recent pullback highlight mixed sentiment: long‑term thesis remains intact for many, but near‑term valuation and growth expectations are under review. Is It Time To Reassess McDonald’s (MCD) After The Recent Share Price Pullback?
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group cut its rating to “Hold” and slightly trimmed FY2026/FY2027 EPS forecasts — a signal that at least one sell‑side shop sees limited near‑term upside, which can cap rally momentum if other analysts follow. McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Cut to “Hold” at Erste Group Bank
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks’ preview flags McDonald’s may lack the right setup for an imminent earnings beat, suggesting expectations are mixed and a disappointing print could reverse some of today’s gains. McDonald’s (MCD) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:MCD opened at $293.95 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $314.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.73. McDonald’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $283.47 and a twelve month high of $341.75. The company has a market capitalization of $208.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.21 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.