McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target Raised to $370.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its target price hoisted by BTIG Research from $360.00 to $370.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the fast-food giant’s stock. BTIG Research’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 14.43% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial upped their target price on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $332.77.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $323.33 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $230.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $312.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $307.90. McDonald’s has a one year low of $283.47 and a one year high of $328.06.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total transaction of $2,006,218.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,407,133. The trade was a 58.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total value of $977,094.90. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,088 shares in the company, valued at $1,861,832.16. This represents a 34.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 34,634 shares of company stock valued at $10,749,559 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 142.9% in the second quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 162.5% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 95.7% in the 4th quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

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.

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.