McDonald's is owned by a wide range of shareholders since it is a publicly traded company. The largest shareholders are institutional investors. As of early 2025, the largest shareholder is The Vanguard Group with about a 9.85% stake. Other major shareholders include BlackRock (7.35%), JP Morgan Chase (5.25%), and State Street Corporation (4.83%). The McDonald’s Corporation itself owns about 70% of the buildings and 45% of the land of its restaurant locations, leasing these to franchisees, who operate most of the restaurants. The original McDonald brothers founded the restaurant, but Ray Kroc purchased and expanded the corporation in 1961 and is considered the key figure behind McDonald's growth as a global franchise.