Councilmark Asset Management LLC Invests $535,000 in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Councilmark Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $535,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 4,008.8% in the second quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 84,230 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $22,768,000 after acquiring an additional 82,180 shares during the period. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 16.9% during the 2nd quarter. Borer Denton & Associates Inc. now owns 13,859 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,746,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Services lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 3,294.5% in the 4th quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 11,779 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,600,000 after purchasing an additional 11,432 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in McDonald’s by 84.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 35,510 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $10,853,000 after purchasing an additional 16,252 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Sarl grew its stake in McDonald’s by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 64,256 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $19,639,000 after buying an additional 6,079 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s unified digital platform is nearing completion across major markets. The system could improve customer personalization, loyalty engagement, ordering efficiency and restaurant productivity, potentially supporting sales and margins over time. Can MCD’s Unified Digital Platform Unlock More Growth & Productivity?
• Positive Sentiment: The return of Spicy Chicken McNuggets and other limited-time menu items could drive customer traffic, add-on purchases and promotional attention. The items are positioned as a short-duration offering, which may create urgency among customers. McDonald’s spicy chicken McNuggets are coming back
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is expanding its beverage focus, including “dirty soda” offerings and competition in the cold-drink category. Beverage innovation could increase visit frequency and improve average transaction values, particularly among younger consumers. McDonald’s enters the cold drink competition
• Neutral Sentiment: New Hello Kitty and Godzilla Happy Meal toys are supporting engagement and promotional visibility, though the direct financial impact is likely modest. Hello Kitty Godzilla Happy Meal toys
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage data continues to show a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, suggesting analysts see potential in the shares despite recent weakness. McDonald’s receives Moderate Buy rating
• Negative Sentiment: The stock selloff reflects investor concern about near-term growth and valuation, even though some analysis argues that McDonald’s digital investments, brand strength and operating initiatives are being undervalued. Continued weakness could persist until traffic and comparable-sales momentum improve. McDonald’s stock selloff is hiding a stronger story

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on MCD. Barclays cut their target price on McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $295.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $325.88.

McDonald’s Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of MCD stock opened at $268.05 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $271.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $292.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $189.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $260.96 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.32 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 572.06%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.19 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.88 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 60.44%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. This trade represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This trade represents a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.