State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Lowers Position in McDonald’s Corporation $MCD
by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat GemState of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D cut its holdings in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD – Free Report) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 244,307 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 5,473 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $74,668,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $43,606,000 after acquiring an additional 3,774 shares during the period. Synergy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in McDonald’s by 317.2% during the third quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,691,000 after acquiring an additional 14,506 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its position in McDonald’s by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,533,015 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $465,868,000 after buying an additional 37,744 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,029,572 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $312,877,000 after purchasing an additional 51,039 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,697,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about McDonald’s
Here are the key news stories impacting McDonald’s this week:
- Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is launching a six-item lineup of “crafted” drinks (refreshers, crafted sodas) nationwide on May 6 — a push that could boost average check and margins if customers trade up to higher‑margin beverages. Crafted Drinks Launch
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are framing McDonald’s beverage push as a large opportunity (some coverage describes drinks as a potential $100B market), underscoring upside to sales and margin if McD captures share from specialty coffee and independent “dirty soda” trends. Drinks Opportunity
- Positive Sentiment: Limited-edition items and nostalgic promotions (Grimace shake, themed carriers) are generating free social-media marketing and traffic, which can drive short-term same-store sales lifts. Promotions & Marketing
- Neutral Sentiment: Several analyst and opinion pieces are re-evaluating McDonald’s after a recent share-price pullback; these discussions highlight valuation, dividend attractiveness, and whether current pricing reflects fundamentals — useful context but not a direct catalyst. Reassessment Article
- Neutral Sentiment: Industry reports and competitor results (e.g., Chipotle sales beat) keep focus on peer performance and the broader QSR growth environment; this is background that can influence relative investor sentiment. Chipotle Results
- Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts for McDonald’s slightly and left a Hold rating — small cuts, but they add to cautious analyst tone amid the share pullback. Analyst Estimate Changes
- Negative Sentiment: Some consumer reaction pieces suggest the new McValue menu and certain promotions may disappoint value-seeking customers, which could limit traffic gains from value-focused initiatives. McValue Menu Reaction
Insider Activity
In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total transaction of $8,764,097.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,638,066. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.
McDonald’s Trading Down 0.2%
Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $291.87 on Thursday. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $314.95 and a 200 day moving average of $311.86. The firm has a market cap of $207.47 billion, a PE ratio of 24.28, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.53.
McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.83 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
McDonald’s Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were given a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is 62.26%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $370.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Tuesday. 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. Truist Financial boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $340.93.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on McDonald’s
McDonald’s Company 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.
See Also
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD – Free Report).