McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Insider Joseph Erlinger Sells 333 Shares

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) insider Joseph Erlinger sold 333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.72, for a total value of $100,805.76. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,442,042.24. The trade was a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock traded up $2.75 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $302.82. 3,057,526 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,243,971. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $318.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.87. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $283.47 and a 52 week high of $341.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.25 billion, a PE ratio of 25.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.83 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors 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 2.5%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rolling menu changes that emphasize protein and respond to GLP‑1-driven eating trends aim to protect same-store traffic and average check by offering higher‑value, protein-forward options. McDonald’s wants you to know it has protein on the menu
• Positive Sentiment: National rollout of an expanded value/$3 menu is designed to defend traffic and price-competitive share — a near-term lever for volume and guest frequency. McDonald’s new value menu debuts today
• Positive Sentiment: Fleet expansion: McDonald’s added more U.S. restaurants in 2025 than in any year since 2002, supporting unit growth and long‑term franchised revenue potential. McDonald’s added a lot of new U.S. restaurants in 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Marketing tie‑ins such as a new “Stranger Things” Happy Meal and high‑profile local openings (e.g., near UT Austin) help drive traffic and seasonal spend. McDonald’s Launches New Happy Meal for “Stranger Things
• Neutral Sentiment: Sell‑side commentary is mixed: RBC expects Q1 roughly in line with estimates (stability), while a 24/7 Wall St. model lifts a price target toward $341 but flags emerging “cracks.” These produce balanced analyst noise rather than decisive guidance. McDonald’s Seen Posting Largely In-Line First-Quarter Results, RBC Says McDonald’s Price Target Hits $341—But Cracks Are Starting to Show
• Neutral Sentiment: Options/flow note: market pieces argue MCD looks oversold and outline income strategies (selling spreads) that could cap downside volatility, attracting yield‑seeking traders. Selling A Spread On McDonald’s Stock Could Deliver A Big Mac-Sized Return
• Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp has lowered near‑term expectations for MCD, which could weigh on sentiment if results or guidance miss. KeyCorp Has Lowered Expectations for McDonald’s
• Negative Sentiment: Brand/legal risk: the USPTO has challenged McDonald’s bid to reclaim the “Extra Value Meal” trademark, which could limit exclusive marketing claims. McDonald’s fights to win back ‘Extra Value Meal’ moniker
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing PR/regulatory items — an equality watchdog says work is ongoing on sexual‑harassment prevention and social media has questioned some protein‑badge claims — represent reputational risks that can pressure margins or require spending to remediate. Equality watchdog says work ‘ongoing’ with McDonald’s on sexual harassment prevention

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in McDonald’s by 162.5% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on MCD. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Guggenheim lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.93.

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.