McDonald’s (MCD) – Investment Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently updated their ratings and price targets for McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD):

• 2/24/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $305.00 to $325.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 2/18/2026 – McDonald’s was upgraded by Erste Group Bank AG from “hold” to “buy”.
• 2/13/2026 – McDonald’s was upgraded by Argus from “hold” to “buy”. They now have a $380.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/13/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by Guggenheim from $325.00 to $320.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Royal Bank Of Canada from $320.00 to $330.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from $360.00 to $375.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Piper Sandler from $323.00 to $325.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Barclays PLC from $372.00 to $380.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s was given a new $335.00 price target by Robert W. Baird.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by UBS Group AG from $350.00 to $365.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its “market perform” rating reaffirmed by Sanford C. Bernstein. They now have a $340.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $345.00 to $355.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Citigroup Inc. from $371.00 to $375.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Truist Financial Corporation from $356.00 to $370.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by TD Cowen. They now have a $320.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by BTIG Research from $360.00 to $370.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 2/6/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Mizuho from $300.00 to $325.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 2/3/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Guggenheim from $310.00 to $325.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 2/2/2026 – McDonald’s had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by UBS Group AG. They now have a $350.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/2/2026 – McDonald’s was upgraded by BTIG Research from “neutral” to “buy”. They now have a $360.00 price target on the stock.
• 1/28/2026 – McDonald’s had its “buy (b-)” rating reaffirmed by Weiss Ratings.
• 1/9/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by KeyCorp from $335.00 to $340.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 1/8/2026 – McDonald’s had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by TD Cowen.
• 1/8/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Truist Financial Corporation from $350.00 to $356.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 1/8/2026 – McDonald’s had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by TD Cowen. They now have a $320.00 price target on the stock.
• 1/7/2026 – McDonald’s had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by Sanford C. Bernstein. They now have a $372.00 price target on the stock.
• 1/7/2026 – McDonald’s had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by Sanford C. Bernstein.
• 1/7/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Barclays PLC from $358.00 to $372.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 1/6/2026 – McDonald’s was upgraded by Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc. from “market perform” to “outperform”. They now have a $355.00 price target on the stock.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, 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 at this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total transaction of $8,764,097.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,638,066. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 71,550 shares of company stock worth $23,484,957 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

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.