McDonald’s’ (MCD) Hold Rating Reiterated at TD Cowen

TD Cowen reissued their hold rating on shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) in a research note released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $320.00 price objective on the fast-food giant’s stock.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on MCD. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Oppenheimer raised shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho raised McDonald’s to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $328.88.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.5%

MCD stock opened at $307.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $218.82 billion, a PE ratio of 26.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $307.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $304.88. McDonald’s has a 1-year low of $276.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The business had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.23 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that McDonald’s will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total value of $977,094.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 6,088 shares in the company, valued at $1,861,832.16. This trade represents a 34.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,760. The trade was a 28.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 53.8% during the fourth quarter. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,486 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,065,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares in the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. grew its position in McDonald’s by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 1,394 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co increased its stake in McDonald’s by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 18,530 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,663,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Clear Trail Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,974,000. Finally, Appleton Partners Inc. MA lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA now owns 17,670 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,400,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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: Barclays published a bullish forecast for MCD, signaling strong expected price appreciation and supporting upside vs. peers. Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an overweight rating, suggesting confidence in growth/strategy that can support longer-term multiple expansion. Sanford C. Bernstein Overweight (coverage roundup)
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” with a $320 target — implies limited near-term catalyst but indicates room for modest upside from current levels. TD Cowen Hold Rating Reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s announced new and returning global menu items for 2026 — potential to boost customer traffic and average check if launches resonate. McDonald’s to Launch New and Returning Menu Items Worldwide in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Company says it’s changing its drive-thrus (operational update) — could improve throughput/experience but is execution-dependent. McDonald’s Is Changing Its Drive-Thrus
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets report a new lawsuit alleging McDonald’s “deceived” customers about McRib ingredients — this raises near-term PR/legal risk and could pressure sales of a promoted product. McDonald’s is facing serious allegations about the McRib McDonald’s Faces Lawsuit Claiming It ‘Deceived’ Customers About the McRib
• Negative Sentiment: Unions have accused McDonald’s of repeated harassment of mostly teenage staff — intensifies labor/PR scrutiny that can lead to fines, protests, or higher labor costs if issues persist. Unions accuse McDonald’s of ‘repeated harassment’ against ‘mostly teenage’ staff
• Neutral Sentiment: Local openings (e.g., Biltmore grand opening) signal continued unit activity but have limited immediate impact on the stock. Biltmore McDonald’s celebrates grand opening

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.