McDonald’s Shares Jump 0.72% on $900M in Trading Volume Ranking 94th as Mixed Signals Emerge from Insiders and Institutions

McDonald’s Corp. (MCD) shares rose 0.72% on August 19, 2025, with a trading volume of $0.90 billion, ranking 94th in daily trading activity. The stock’s movement followed insider transactions and institutional investor adjustments in stake sizes, reflecting mixed signals from key market participants.

Jonathan Banner, McDonald’s EVP and Chief Impact Officer, sold 1,000 shares at $310 apiece, totaling $310,000. Post-transaction, Banner retains 98 shares, indicating a strategic reduction in personal holdings. Separately, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC cut its stake by 13.8%, offloading 11,733 shares to leave 73,139 shares valued at $22.8 million. Conversely, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position by 1.4% in the first quarter, holding 120,787 shares worth $37.73 million.

Goldman Sachs Group boosted its stake by 19.6% in Q1, underscoring institutional confidence in the fast-food giant. Meanwhile, the company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.77 per share, yielding 2.3%, payable on September 16. Analysts remain split, with average price targets hovering near $326.87, though recent earnings reports showed stronger-than-expected revenue growth of 5.4% year-over-year.

A strategy of buying the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding for one day from 2022 to present yielded a 1.98% average daily return. Over 365 days, total returns reached 7.61%, with a Sharpe ratio of 0.94. However, the approach faced a maximum drawdown of -29.16%, highlighting its exposure to market volatility during downturns.