McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Stock Bought by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 825,799 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 86,979 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $190,710,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in McDonald’s by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,080,505 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $9,752,921,000 after acquiring an additional 646,675 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,359,276,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in McDonald’s by 17.2% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,637,785 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,130,587,000 after buying an additional 533,448 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,089,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $649,545,000 after acquiring an additional 134,480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,909,321 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $593,366,000 after purchasing an additional 62,562 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technical commentary suggests McDonald’s stock, which has fallen sharply this year amid weakness in consumer-discretionary shares, may be positioned for a rebound. The recent recovery could attract value-oriented investors if the company delivers resilient sales and cash flow. Mapping the Market: Beaten-down McDonald’s stock may be ripe for a rally
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is bringing back Pokémon Happy Meals in November, featuring collectible toys and trading cards. The promotion could support customer traffic, family visits and near-term sales, although its impact is likely temporary. McDonald’s is bringing back Pokémon Happy Meals
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is focusing on estimates for McDonald’s third-quarter 2026 revenue, earnings and operating metrics. The reports provide expectations rather than new company results, so the stock’s next major catalyst will be whether actual performance exceeds or falls short of those forecasts. Unveiling McDonald’s Q3 Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: New holiday beverages and an $8 Quarter Pounder meal are scheduled for November. These value and seasonal offerings may help affordability perceptions and traffic, but investors will need evidence that promotions can improve demand without pressuring restaurant-level margins. McDonald’s adds new holiday drinks
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho cut its McDonald’s price target from $290 to $260 and assigned a neutral rating, indicating limited expected upside from recent levels. The revision reinforces concerns about valuation and the durability of cash-flow growth. Mizuho McDonald’s rating
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage also questions whether McDonald’s current valuation already reflects its expected cash generation, while the stock remains materially below its level at the start of the year. A planned multibillion-dollar modernization and AI drive-through initiative could improve efficiency over time, but it also introduces execution and investment risks.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $258.15 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $248.26 and a 200-day moving average of $283.44. McDonald’s Corporation has a one year low of $229.20 and a one year high of $341.75. The company has a market cap of $182.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.44.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 572.06% and a net margin of 31.72%. The business had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.19 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $1.93 per share. This is a boost from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $7.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MCD shares. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered McDonald’s from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $306.00 to $285.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Piper Sandler set a $286.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $290.00 to $285.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.73.

McDonald’s Profile

McDonald’s Corporation is a global quick-service restaurant company that operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand. Its restaurants serve a menu that includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, breakfast items, desserts, salads, beverages and coffee. Offerings vary by market, and many locations provide drive-thru service, delivery and digital ordering through the McDonald’s mobile app.

The company operates through a heavily franchised business model, with restaurants owned and operated by independent franchisees, affiliates and the company itself.