McDonald's Corporation (MCD)

Over the past six months, McDonald's stock price has experienced some fluctuations. As of June 27, 2025, the share price was $291.55, an increase of 16.62% from July 1, 2024, when it was $249.99. The stock's total return over the past 12 months was 19.62%, and it was up 1.94% year-to-date as of June 27, 2025. Recent events impacting the stock include a decline in June 2025 due to analyst disappointment, the end of the Krispy Kreme partnership, a settlement over racially discriminatory ad spending, a quarterly cash dividend announcement in May 2025, and the first-quarter 2025 results reported on May 1, 2025. Concerns about GLP-1 weight-loss drugs represent a structural risk to fast-food demand.

McDonald's experiences demand seasonality, with the summer months typically being its busiest time of the year, leading to summer hiring campaigns. Historically, the stock has shown strong seasonal performance in the fourth quarter, reflecting increased consumer spending during the holiday season, with an average profit of +8.22% over the last 20 years.

McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast-food chain and one of the world's largest restaurant owner-operators. The company operates primarily as a fast-food restaurant chain, known for its burgers, fries, and breakfast items. McDonald's is part of the fast-food industry, characterized by affordable food products, high competition, and diverse growth and strategy patterns based on geography. The company's sector is Consumer Discretionary, and its industry is Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure. McDonald's major products include hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries, soft drinks, soft serves, shakes, salads, desserts, hotcakes, and coffee. The company also generates a significant portion of its revenue through its ownership of real estate, leasing land and buildings to its franchisees.

McDonald's has a vast global presence, with restaurants in 120 countries and territories, serving 68 million customers daily. As of 2023, there were 41,800 McDonald's locations worldwide, including over 13,000 in the United States. Other major markets include mainland China, Japan, France, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, Australia, the Philippines, and Italy. McDonald's ceased operations in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The company aims to expand to 50,000 restaurants globally by the end of 2027.

McDonald's has maintained a strong brand reputation, becoming the world's most valuable restaurant brand with a brand value of USD 40.5 billion as of March 2025. Its Brand Strength Index (BSI) score reached 90.5 out of 100, earning an AAA+ rating. The company scored perfectly in 'familiarity' and highly in 'consideration' and 'preferred brand'. However, the company has faced challenges including the impact of inflation and geopolitical events, food safety concerns, criticism regarding unhealthy food, and activist pressures, including a nationwide boycott.

McDonald's ownership structure is a mix of institutional, retail, and individual investors. Institutional investors hold a significant majority, with approximately 72% of the company's shares. Major institutional shareholders include The Vanguard Group, BlackRock, State Street Corp, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Morgan Stanley, Geode Capital Management, LLC, Bank of America Corp, and Wellington Management Group LLP. The Vanguard Group is the largest shareholder, owning 69,043,882 McDonald's shares. Individual shareholders, primarily insiders and employees, own a smaller percentage, under 1%.