McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $336.00 and last traded at $334.7740, with a volume of 278811 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $334.56.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Erste Group raised MCD to “Buy,” saying sales should accelerate in 2026 vs. 2025 and highlighting McDonald’s strong financial profile; analyst upgrades can lift sentiment and attract flows. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Major menu push — McDonald’s is rolling out the “Big Arch” / new large sandwich in the U.S. in early March, part of a broader strategy to lean into larger-premium burgers and drive ticket growth and store traffic. Product news and menu experimentation that generate buzz tend to support sales momentum. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate — commentary asks whether recent multi‑year gains leave MCD fully priced; the piece provides return context (strong multi‑year performance) and reminds investors to weigh growth vs. premium valuation. This tempers but doesn’t negate positive operational news. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest story — a consumer‑friendly piece shows hypothetical returns if you invested $1K at the start of 2025, underscoring recent share gains and visibility for retail investors (supports sentiment but not fundamentals). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational tweak — McDonald’s updated cash/rounding rules as pennies vanish in some markets; small customer experience and checkout changes can slightly affect transaction flow but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro market context — broader market volatility (Dow weakness, sector swings) can pressure sentiment intraday even for defensive names like MCD; this is a market‑wide driver rather than company‑specific. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised 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. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $337.04.

McDonald’s Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $238.56 billion, a PE ratio of 28.05, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $314.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $309.41.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The firm had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.83 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.26%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total transaction of $854,106.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,398 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,755,699.50. The trade was a 32.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,550 shares of company stock worth $23,484,957. 0.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Nolet Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth $298,000. Investment Insight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth about $1,666,000. GuidedMoney LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $245,000. Monetary Solutions Ltd bought a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $174,000. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its stake in McDonald’s by 64.3% during the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 5,871 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,849,000 after purchasing an additional 2,297 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

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.