McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Stock: Courier Capital LLC Lowers Position

Courier Capital LLC decreased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) by 58.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,176 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 5,979 shares during the quarter. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $964,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in McDonald’s by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 5,590 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,718,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Jacobsen Capital Management lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.9% in the first quarter. Jacobsen Capital Management now owns 1,267 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $394,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.7% during the first quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC now owns 5,303 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 11.0% during the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 372 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.5% during the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 1,532 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on MCD shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $310.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered 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 report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $290.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $295.94.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s has a consensus price target of approximately $295.94, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The target reflects expectations that the company’s brand, franchise model and turnaround efforts can support a recovery. McDonald’s Corporation Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $295.94
• Positive Sentiment: Management is resetting its marketing strategy around personalized digital offers, value meals and more streamlined campaigns. Better execution could improve customer engagement and help rebuild baseline sales after recent promotions failed to meet expectations. Can MCD’s Marketing Reset Help Improve Customer Engagement and Sales?
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s may bring Disney villains to its Boo Buckets Halloween promotion in 2026. The potential collaboration could create marketing buzz, but its direct financial impact is likely limited. Disney villains may appear on McDonald’s Boo Buckets in 2026 return
• Negative Sentiment: Investors have reacted cautiously to McDonald’s roughly $8.5 billion franchisee-support commitment through 2036. The spending could strengthen restaurants over time, but it raises near-term capital-allocation and return-on-investment concerns. McDonald’s Trades at 18 Times Earnings. Is the $8.5B Fix Priced In?
• Negative Sentiment: The Restaurant NEXT overhaul requires U.S. drive-through franchisees to invest about $800,000 per location in technology and operational upgrades, prompting resistance from some operators who question the payoff. McDonald’s $800,000 overhaul hits resistance from within
• Negative Sentiment: McDonald’s efforts to drive growth through chicken and beverages face competitive pressure: consumer-spending data reportedly shows Chick-fil-A and coffee chains gaining share. Value promotions have also not yet produced strong demand. McDonald’s is leaning into chicken and drinks to grow
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate to $12.87 from $12.92 and its FY2027 estimate to $13.80 from $13.96, reinforcing concerns about slower earnings growth. McDonald’s earnings estimate revisions

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $235.94. The stock had a trading volume of 4,540,226 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,235,564. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $254.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.24. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $229.20 and a 52 week high of $341.75. The company has a market capitalization of $166.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.44.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $7.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 572.06%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.19 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.93 per share. This is a positive change 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 3.3%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.44%.

About McDonald’s

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.