Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 22,742 Shares of McDonald’s Corporation $MCD

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 820,276 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,742 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of McDonald’s worth $250,701,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,351,127 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $22,112,675,000 after buying an additional 703,458 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,024,857 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,643,704,000 after buying an additional 196,505 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 6.4% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,757,967 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,445,899,000 after buying an additional 286,284 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.5% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 4,422,014 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,343,501,000 after acquiring an additional 21,168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 36.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,396,837 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,336,155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,179,244 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on MCD. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank downgraded McDonald’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price target on McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $340.93.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Menu and beverage innovation could boost traffic and average checks — McDonald’s is rolling out six new specialty drinks (craft sodas and “Refreshers”) while phasing out self‑serve soda fountains, part of a broader menu and restaurant refresh that UBS and other outlets say could help the chain rebound. McDonald’s debuts crafted sodas & Refreshers
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlighting a potential bounce — UBS/coverage noted that menu, marketing and loyalty momentum could drive a recovery if execution and comps stabilize, giving investors a reason to buy into a post-earnings rebound. McDonald’s likely to bounce as chain overhauls menus, UBS says
• Neutral Sentiment: Franchise-law developments could support long-term stability — commentary on the American Franchise Act stresses bipartisan support for franchise protections that would favor system stability and the franchise model McDonald’s relies on (more of a long-term structural tailwind than an immediate catalyst). This one federal standard is the ‘lynchpin’ of franchising
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term dividend/total-return narrative remains intact — pieces revisiting a decade-long investment case underscore buybacks, steady dividend policy and digital rollout as structural positives, but these are background factors vs. near-term earnings. If you had invested $1,000 in McDonald’s a decade ago
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 downside risk: UBS warns U.S. comparable‑sales could miss consensus due to weather and cost pressure — that raises the odds of an earnings reaction if McDonald’s reports softer U.S. comps or margin compression. McDonald’s could miss first-quarter US comparable sales consensus, UBS says
• Negative Sentiment: Shares already under pressure into earnings — coverage highlights that MCD hit a 52‑week low ahead of the print, reflecting investor caution and making the stock more sensitive to any negative surprise. McDonald’s stock hits 52-week low ahead of earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade increases sell-side cautiousness — Erste Group’s downgrade to Hold cites expected below‑sector profit growth, which can weigh on sentiment if others follow. Erste Group turns cautious on McDonald’s, downgrades to Hold

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total transaction of $8,706,883.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,587,915. The trade was a 53.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 71,990 shares of company stock worth $23,824,113 in the last quarter. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Trading Up 0.4%

MCD opened at $285.13 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $313.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $311.72. McDonald’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $283.02 and a 1-year high of $341.75. The company has a market cap of $202.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.43.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The business’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.