McDonald’s Corporation $MCD Shares Sold by Rathbones Group PLC

Posted by Brenda Bartman on May 22nd, 2026

Rathbones Group PLC trimmed its stake in McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD – Free Report) by 79.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 73,243 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock after selling 279,902 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in McDonald’s were worth $22,385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Encompass More Asset Management raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Encompass More Asset Management now owns 2,120 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $648,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,102 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $642,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.1% in the third quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank of Texas raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. American National Bank of Texas now owns 1,191 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $364,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 3.8% in the third quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 929 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MCD. Citigroup boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $371.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Guggenheim cut their price target on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. 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. Truist Financial boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered McDonald’s from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $334.45.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on McDonald’s

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.3%

McDonald’s stock opened at $284.03 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.42, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $300.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.44. McDonald’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $271.98 and a 52 week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.94 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.34%.

Key McDonald’s News

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

Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s confirmed a quarterly dividend of $1.86 per share, reinforcing its appeal as a dependable income stock and signaling continued cash generation for shareholders. McDonald’s Rewards Shareholders Again
Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted new menu and beverage initiatives, plus AI-driven and futuristic drive-thru upgrades, suggesting McDonald’s is trying to improve the customer experience and drive more sales through product innovation. McDonalds Is Transforming the Fast-Food Experience in 2026 With AI, Futuristic Drive-Thrus, and Trendy New Drinks
Positive Sentiment: Analysts are said to be resetting growth and valuation assumptions, which can keep the stock in focus if investors see McDonald’s as a defensive brand with improving execution. Why The McDonald’s (MCD) Investment Story Is Shifting As Analysts Reset Growth And Valuation
Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s plans to open a restaurant in historic Castlemaine and other brand-related media coverage appear more like awareness/marketing stories than major financial catalysts. McDonald’s confirms plan for restaurant in historic Castlemaine
Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s board change at Constellation Brands is not a direct operational update for MCD, though it does keep the company’s leadership team visible in the market. Constellation Brands Announces Election of Morgan Flatley as New Independent Board Director
Negative Sentiment: Recent valuation commentary noted weaker share-price performance over the past month and quarter, suggesting investors remain cautious despite McDonald’s defensive profile and dividend support. Assessing McDonald’s (MCD) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness And Mixed Return Patterns

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total transaction of $806,182.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,400 shares in the company, valued at $2,578,800. This represents a 23.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 12,119 shares of company stock valued at $3,945,973 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.