McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Earns Hold Rating from TD Cowen

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reissued by equities research analysts at TD Cowen in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $320.00 price target on the fast-food giant’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target would suggest a potential downside of 1.03% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on MCD. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer raised shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Guggenheim raised their target price on McDonald’s from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $325.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $332.77.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $323.33 on Thursday. McDonald’s has a 12-month low of $283.47 and a 12-month high of $328.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.26 billion, a PE ratio of 27.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $312.21 and its 200-day moving average is $307.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.McDonald’s’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.83 EPS. Analysts expect that McDonald’s will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,169,430. The trade was a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total transaction of $977,094.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 6,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,861,832.16. This trade represents a 34.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 34,634 shares of company stock worth $10,749,559. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 72,351,127 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $22,112,675,000 after acquiring an additional 703,458 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,024,857 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,643,704,000 after acquiring an additional 196,505 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,038,519 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,195,965,000 after purchasing an additional 76,090 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,780,712,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 29,382.3% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,676,339,000 after purchasing an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — McDonald’s reported stronger-than-expected Q4 results (revenue up ~9.7% YoY; EPS beat consensus), driven by rising comparable sales and traffic tied to value offers. This is the primary bullish catalyst supporting the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Value strategy and loyalty gains — Management says Extra Value Meals and promotions pulled back budget-conscious customers; systemwide loyalty sales rose ~20% and 90‑day active users climbed to ~210M, underpinning sustainable traffic and digital sales growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backdrop supportive — Multiple firms have buy/overweight ratings and recent price targets generally sit above the current share level, giving analysts a lift to investor confidence after the results. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Menu innovation to address trends — McDonald’s is testing high‑protein menu items to appeal to consumers using GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs, a potential revenue hedge if eating habits shift. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing buzz — Limited-time stunts (e.g., McNugget “caviar” kits) sold out quickly and drove media attention and short‑term traffic, but are unlikely to be a sustained earnings driver. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Growth roadmap commentary — Coverage (podcasts/analysis) highlights management’s push toward a larger store base (discussion of a 50k footprint) — strategic upside but long‑dated. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee friction — Some franchisees resist centralized pricing/value moves, which could complicate uniform execution and limit margin upside if disputes persist. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — A senior U.S. executive disclosed the sale of ~2,626 shares (~$854K), which may be interpreted as profit-taking and can damp investor sentiment after the earnings pop. Read More.

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.