Key Points
- Insider sale: Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares on Jan. 12 at an average price of $306.58 for roughly $805,079, cutting his stake by about 32.7% to 5,398 shares (SEC Form 4).
- Recent results & dividend: McDonald's reported Q EPS of $3.22 (vs. $3.33 expected) and $7.08B revenue (up 3% YoY), and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.86 ($7.44 annualized, ~2.4% yield; DPR ~63.5%).
- Analyst and market backdrop: The stock carries a consensus "Hold" with a $328.88 target, a ~$220B market cap, mixed analyst ratings (13 Buys, 16 Holds, 2 Sells), and roughly 70% institutional ownership.
McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) insider Joseph Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.58, for a total transaction of $805,079.08. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at $1,654,918.84. This represents a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.
McDonald's Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $309.43 on Wednesday. McDonald's Corporation has a 52-week low of $276.53 and a 52-week high of $326.32. The company has a market capitalization of $220.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $308.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $305.28.
McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonald's had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The business had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.23 EPS. McDonald's's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that McDonald's Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.
McDonald's Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $1.86 dividend. This is a boost from McDonald's's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.48%.
McDonald's News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald's this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst take: a recent Motley Fool piece argues MCD lagged 2025's rally but could be close to a rare corporate milestone that would justify upside, making shares look attractive to some investors. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s Canada locked $5 meal pricing for a full year — a rare, consumer-friendly move that should support traffic and PR in a key market, though it may pressure short-term margins. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is expanding marketing promotions (Pokémon Happy Meal return) and new menu stunts (its biggest burger), both likely to drive traffic and incremental sales in the near term. Article Title Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Company-level initiatives: reports highlight a push to use AI across services and operations — a potential source of longer-term cost savings and efficiency gains that investors typically reward. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: International resilience noted by analysts: Zacks highlights that disciplined value, local marketing and scale are supporting comparable sales outside the U.S., helping offset broader QSR pressure. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Franchise partner news: Armada named new leaders for its McDonald’s business unit — organizational change that could affect go-to-market execution but is not a direct corporate earnings driver. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Product chatter: social and local media note new snack-wrap competition and consumer buzz—helpful for brand engagement but limited direct impact on near-term financials. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview: previews suggest McDonald’s upcoming quarterly report is expected to show single-digit bottom-line growth — a modest outlook that leaves room for beats or misses to move the stock. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: President of International Oper. Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares (~$805k) and trimmed his position by ~33%, a disclosure that some investors view as a negative signal about near-term insider conviction. SEC Filing
Analyst Ratings Changes
MCD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of McDonald's from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday, January 8th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on McDonald's from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $372.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $328.88.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on McDonald's
Institutional Trading of McDonald's
Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. 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 valued at $41,422,000 after acquiring an additional 64,757 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC grew its holdings in McDonald's by 1.1% during the second quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 206,004 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $60,188,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its position in 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 buying an additional 4,571 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised 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 valued at $43,606,000 after buying an additional 3,774 shares during the period. Finally, Choreo LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald's by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 58,515 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $17,096,000 after buying an additional 954 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
McDonald's Company Profile
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Get Free Report)
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.
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