Whalen Wealth Management Inc. Invests $691,000 in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemWhalen Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD – Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock, valued at approximately $691,000.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 171.7% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 96.0% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 4,032,676 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,188,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,751 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $1,336,155,000 after buying an additional 1,179,244 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 111.3% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,071,296 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $629,446,000 after buying an additional 1,090,849 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 927.5% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 827,547 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $251,483,000 after buying an additional 927,547 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Trending Headlines about McDonald’s
Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Company-wide value push — McDonald’s will debut a simplified McValue “Under $3” menu (10 items) and $4 breakfast deals later this month; expected to drive traffic, app engagement and defend market share in a price-sensitive consumer environment. McDonald’s Under $3 Menu will make its debut later this month
- Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and local product innovation — regional initiatives (e.g., McDonald’s Türkiye ‘Archie’) and youth-focused promotions (K‑Pop/Netflix tie-ins) can boost brand relevance and short‑term engagement, but sales/monetization impact is uncertain. McDonald’s Türkiye Introduces ‘Archie’ for Gamers
- Negative Sentiment: Margin risk from lower pricing — widespread coverage notes these are some of McDonald’s lowest prices in years; while that can lift visits, substituting higher‑margin items for sub‑$3 offers and $4 breakfasts could compress margin per transaction and pressure near‑term EPS. McDonald’s is rolling out some of its lowest prices in years
McDonald’s Trading Up 0.0%
NYSE MCD opened at $307.17 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $321.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.50. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $283.47 and a 52 week high of $341.75. The stock has a market cap of $218.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53.
McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is presently 62.26%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Tigress Financial raised their price target on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $339.69.
Get Our Latest Report on McDonald’s
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total value of $8,706,883.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,587,915. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,722,204. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.
McDonald’s Profile
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.