New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 10,240 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

New York State Teachers Retirement System lowered its position in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 547,441 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 10,240 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $167,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 162.5% in the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 95.7% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1,616.7% in the fourth quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 103 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 735.7% in the third quarter. Painted Porch Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis Capital Management bought a new position in McDonald’s in the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is rolling out a national lineup of handcrafted drinks (including specialty “dirty sodas” and limited-edition Grimace Shake returns) as the company pushes beverages as a major growth opportunity — coverage frames this as a potential multi‑billion-dollar (even cited as a $100B) revenue opportunity that could boost average check and traffic if successful. McDonald’s Is Turning Drinks Into a $100 Billion Opportunity—Here’s What’s on the New Menu
• Positive Sentiment: Local and national press coverage of the new drink lineup and limited-edition merchandising (carriers, promotional items) is generating consumer buzz that may help near‑term comps and marketing ROI. These 6 new hand-crafted drinks are coming to McDonald’s nationwide
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes McDonald’s outpaced the broader market in today’s session — much of the move appears driven by the beverage rollout headlines and general investor rotation into consumer names. Why McDonald’s (MCD) Outpaced the Stock Market Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Arcos Dorados (ARCO), the largest McDonald’s franchisee in Latin America, filed its Form 20‑F — routine disclosure for a major regional operator; not an immediate indicator for MCD’s corporate fundamentals but relevant for LATAM exposure. Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. Announces the Filing of Its Annual Report on Form 20-F for Fiscal Year 2025
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and market pieces asking whether to reassess McDonald’s after a recent pullback highlight mixed sentiment: long‑term thesis remains intact for many, but near‑term valuation and growth expectations are under review. Is It Time To Reassess McDonald’s (MCD) After The Recent Share Price Pullback?
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group cut its rating to “Hold” and slightly trimmed FY2026/FY2027 EPS forecasts — a signal that at least one sell‑side shop sees limited near‑term upside, which can cap rally momentum if other analysts follow. McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Cut to “Hold” at Erste Group Bank
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks’ preview flags McDonald’s may lack the right setup for an imminent earnings beat, suggesting expectations are mixed and a disappointing print could reverse some of today’s gains. McDonald’s (MCD) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $763,567.39. This trade represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on MCD shares. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Mizuho increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $340.93.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of MCD opened at $293.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $208.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.60, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $314.29 and a 200 day moving average of $311.73. McDonald’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $283.47 and a 12 month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.21 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

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.