Markets

Insider Trading

Hedge Funds

Retirement

Opinion

Analyst Makes Case for McDonald’s (MCD) Amid Bill Gates’ New Stake

We recently published a list of Top 10 Stocks Wall Street is Discussing. In this article, we are going to take a look at where McDonald’s Corp (NYSE:MCD) stands against other top stocks Wall Street is discussing.

Bill Strazzullo, Bell Curve Trading chief market strategist, said in a latest program on CNBC that the market rally that started during the peak of the pandemic driven by fiscal stimulus seems to have “tapped out.” The analyst sees more pain ahead:

“The bottom line of all this is that we’ve only started this. We’ll be lucky if we get out of this top to bottom only down 20%. I think eventually, across the indices—Dow, S&P, NASDAQ 100—we’ll end up being down 25% before it’s all done.”

Asked what he would advise to long-term investors, the analyst recommended taking some money off the table and bracing for more impact:

“It’s not anything very esoteric. Take some money off the table—you’ll be able to deploy that capital at much better levels later in the year. But right now, Trump is taking us not only into a trade war but into a full-blown recession. I think the mistake people are making is that we’ve been spoiled with these V bottoms—we go down 10 or 12% and then right back up. This is not going to be like that. We are going to be in for a much deeper drawdown and I think something that’s going to last a significant amount of time.”

READ ALSO: 7 Best Stocks to Buy For Long-Term and 8 Cheap Jim Cramer Stocks to Invest In

For this article, we picked 10 stocks making moves on important news. With each stock we have mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).

A cook in a busy kitchen assembling cheeseburgers for orders.

McDonald’s Corp (NYSE:MCD)

Number of Hedge Funds Investors: 60

Josh Brown, CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, during a recent program on CNBC talked about McDonald’s Corp (NYSE:MCD).

“I’m saying, like, the sum total of all the people managing money have decided to be buying and accumulating McDonald’s in a choppy tape. I believe that there’s signal there, and I think that investors are smart. So this is an RSI of 66, which means it’s up, there’s momentum, but it’s not overbought. It’s about 3% below its 52-week high. It could take that level out on one green day. This name is up 8% in the past month, where most stocks have struggled. And what’s really interesting is Bill Gates—The Gates Foundation, which is a $42 billion pool of capital—just initiated a brand-new position in McDonald’s while selling down Microsoft and selling down Berkshire Hathaway. He— I say he—The Gates Foundation bought 334,000 shares at an estimated average cost of $297.40. That’s right around here. It’s about $100 million worth of stock, not a big position in the context of a $42 billion pool of capital, which means that position could be more, not less.”

Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund stated the following regarding McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in its Q3 2024 investor letter:

“McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) performed well as it met the expectations of investors looking for improvements in relative market share trends. The company’s introductions of menu items at premium- and medium-price tiers are picking up pace, allowing it to capture value more effectively.”

Overall, MCD ranks 5th on our list of top stocks Wall Street is discussing. While we acknowledge the potential of MCD, our conviction lies in the belief that under the radar AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MCD but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

The $250 Trillion AI Hype is Real. A few years from now, you’ll probably wish you’d bought this stock.

When Jeff Bezos said that one breakthrough technology would shape Amazon’s destiny, even Wall Street’s biggest analysts were caught off guard.

Fast forward a year and Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that is already being used across Amazon to reinvent customer experiences.

At the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, Elon Musk predicted that by 2040 there would be at least 10 billion humanoid robots, with each priced between $20,000 and $25,000.

Do the math. According to Musk, this technology could be worth $250 trillion by 2040.

Put another way, that’s roughly equal to:

  • 175 Teslas
  • 107 Amazons
  • 140 Metas
  • 84 Googles
  • 65 Microsofts
  • And 55 Nvidias

And here’s the wild part — this $250 trillion wave isn’t tied to one company, but to an entire ecosystem of AI innovators set to reshape the global economy.

It’s a leap so massive, it could reshape how businesses, governments, and consumers operate worldwide.

Even if that $250 trillion figure sounds ambitious, major firms like PwC and McKinsey still see AI unlocking multi-trillion-dollar potential.

How could anything be worth that much?

The answer lies in a breakthrough so powerful it’s redefining how humanity works, learns, and creates.

And this breakthrough has already set off a frenzy among hedge funds and Wall Street’s top investors.

What most investors don’t realize is that one under-owned company holds the key to this $250 trillion revolution.

In fact, Verge argues this company’s supercheap AI technology should concern rivals.

Before I reveal the details, let’s talk about how some of the richest people on the planet are positioning themselves.

  • Bill Gates sees artificial intelligence as the “biggest technological advance in my lifetime,” more transformative than the internet or personal computer, capable of improving healthcare, education, and addressing climate change.
  • Larry Ellison — through Oracle, is spending billions on Nvidia chips and partnering with Cohere to embed generative AI across Oracle’s cloud and apps.
  • Warren Buffett — not known for tech hype — says this breakthrough could have a ‘hugely beneficial social impact.

When billionaires from Silicon Valley to Wall Street line up behind the same idea — you know it’s worth paying attention to.

Even as we admire what Tesla, Nvidia, Alphabet, and Microsoft have built, we believe an even greater opportunity lies elsewhere…

But the real story isn’t Nvidia — it’s a much smaller company quietly improving the critical technology that makes this entire revolution possible.

And judging by what I’m hearing from both Silicon Valley insiders and Wall Street veterans…

This prediction might not be bold at all:

A few years from now, you’ll wish you’d owned this stock.

The best part? You can discover everything about this company and its groundbreaking technology right now.

I’ve compiled everything you need to know about this groundbreaking company in a detailed, members-only report.

Trust me — you’ll want to read this report before putting another dollar into any tech stock.

For a ridiculously low price of just $9.99 a month, you can unlock a year’s worth of in-depth investment research and exclusive insights – that’s less than a single fast food meal!

Here’s why this is a deal you can’t afford to pass up:

• Access to our Detailed Report on this Game-Changing AI Stock: Our in-depth report dives deep into our #1 AI stock’s groundbreaking technology and massive growth potential.

• 11 New Issues of Our Premium Readership Newsletter: You will also receive 11 new issues and at least one new stock pick per month from our monthly newsletter’s portfolio over the next 12 months. These stocks are handpicked by our research director, Dr. Inan Dogan.

• One free upcoming issue of our 70+ page Quarterly Newsletter: A value of $149

• Bonus Reports: Premium access to members-only fund manager video interviews

• Ad-Free Browsing: Enjoy a year of investment research free from distracting banner and pop-up ads, allowing you to focus on uncovering the next big opportunity.

• 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee:  If you’re not absolutely satisfied with our service, we’ll provide a full refund within 30 days, no questions asked.

If you’re thinking about getting in, don’t wait – because once Wall Street catches wind of this story, the easy money will be gone.

Space is Limited! Only 1000 spots are available for this exclusive offer. Don’t let this chance slip away – subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter today and unlock the potential for a life-changing investment.

Here’s what to do next:

1. Head over to our website and subscribe to our Premium Readership Newsletter for just $9.99 a month.

2. Enjoy a year of ad-free browsing, exclusive access to our in-depth report on the revolutionary AI company, and the upcoming issues of our Premium Readership Newsletter over the next 12 months.

3. Sit back, relax, and know that you’re backed by our ironclad 30-day money-back guarantee.

Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! Subscribe now and take control of your AI investment future!

No worries about auto-renewals! Our 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee applies whether you’re joining us for the first time or renewing your subscription a month later!