McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) Receives $331.37 Consensus PT from Analysts

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty-one brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fifteen have issued a hold recommendation and fourteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $335.6296.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MCD. Guggenheim boosted 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. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price objective on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $375.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,169,430. This represents a 39.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total value of $2,006,218.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,133. This represents a 58.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 34,634 shares of company stock valued at $10,749,559 in the last quarter. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% in the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. grew its stake in McDonald’s by 142.9% in the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 95.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — McDonald’s reported stronger-than-expected Q4 revenue (~$7.01B, +9.7% YoY) and EPS above consensus, with comps up across regions; this earnings print is the primary bullish catalyst. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Value-led traffic and loyalty lift — Management says Extra Value Meals and promotions are bringing back budget-conscious customers; loyalty metrics and systemwide loyalty sales accelerated, supporting sustainable sales momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets — Several firms raised price targets (Truist to $370; BTIG to $370) and reiterated buy/overweight stances after the quarter, which can support further upside. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns intact — Company confirmed the quarterly dividend and continues buyback history; the payout supports income-oriented investors and helps sentiment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing/pop-culture lift — Promotions (e.g., McNugget “caviar” kits, Shamrock Shake) generated strong media attention and short-term traffic spikes, but these are unlikely to be a durable earnings lever on their own. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee tensions — Some franchisees resist centralized pricing/value initiatives; this could complicate consistent execution or margin flow across U.S. markets and is a near-term risk to the playbook. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — A disclosed sale by a senior U.S. executive (Form 4) may prompt short-term caution among some investors who take insider sales as a signal to lock in gains. Read More.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD traded up $6.80 during trading on Thursday, reaching $330.01. 3,128,513 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,287,534. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $312.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $307.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $235.02 billion, a PE ratio of 28.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald’s has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $333.38.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that McDonald’s will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%.

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.