McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-two research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have given a hold recommendation and seventeen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $334.4483.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MCD shares. 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. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $331.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $380.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of MCD stock opened at $280.39 on Friday. McDonald’s has a 12 month low of $271.98 and a 12 month high of $341.75. The company has a market capitalization of $199.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $301.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $309.54.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s will post 12.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were 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 approximately $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total transaction of $806,182.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,578,800. This trade represents a 23.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 12,119 shares of company stock valued at $3,945,973 in the last 90 days. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the 1st quarter valued at about $201,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 4.7% during the first quarter. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC now owns 1,497 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 16.0% in the first quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,707 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $6,746,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,199 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orographic Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,631,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.86 per share, reinforcing its appeal as a steady income stock and signaling confidence in cash generation. McDONALD’S ANNOUNCES QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted U.S. comparable sales up 3.9% in Q1 2026, helped by McValue promotions and lower-priced deals that are resonating with budget-conscious customers. McDonald’s U.S. Comps Jump 3.9%: What’s Driving Momentum?
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is expanding its menu strategy with new beverage additions and specialty drinks, which could support traffic and ticket growth if customers respond well. McDonald’s CEO shares major beverage menu additions
• Positive Sentiment: Marketing and partnership buzz, including a possible Capcom collaboration in Japan and a Nike/Devin Booker tie-in, may help keep the brand culturally relevant and drive short-term consumer interest. McDonald’s Japan Appears To Be Teasing Another Capcom Collab McDonald’s teases collab with Devin Booker and Nike
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed McDonald’s as a watchlist or valuation name, suggesting investors are reassessing the stock after recent weakness rather than reacting to a single new fundamental catalyst. Restaurant Stocks To Add to Your Watchlist – May 19th Assessing McDonald’s (MCD) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness And Mixed Return Patterns
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg reported McDonald’s won’t meet some emissions goals, citing an energy crunch, which could raise ESG concerns for some investors. McDonald’s Won’t Meet Some Emissions Goals, Citing Energy Crunch

About McDonald’s

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.