Zacks Research Estimates McDonald’s’ Q3 Earnings (NYSE:MCD)

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) – Zacks Research cut their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for McDonald’s in a report issued on Tuesday, August 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the fast-food giant will post earnings per share of $3.36 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $3.45. The consensus estimate for McDonald’s’ current full-year earnings is $12.88 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for McDonald’s’ Q4 2026 earnings at $3.26 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $12.84 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.04 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.49 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.61 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.63 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $13.77 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $3.28 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $3.77 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $14.96 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on MCD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of McDonald’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Freedom Capital raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Evercore set a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $325.44.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE MCD opened at $267.15 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $273.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.49. The firm has a market cap of $189.04 billion, a PE ratio of 21.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.41. McDonald’s has a 52 week low of $260.96 and a 52 week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.32 by $0.06. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 572.06% and a net margin of 31.72%.The company had revenue of $7.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.19 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 1,616.7% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 103 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total value of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,198,930.88. The trade was a 40.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 8,348 shares of company stock valued at $2,355,634 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.44%.

Key McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s launched a limited-time Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meal featuring eight collectible toys. The high-profile collaboration could drive family visits, engagement and short-term sales. McDonald’s has 8 new Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meal toys
• Positive Sentiment: New fall beverages, limited-time menu items, afternoon offerings aimed at Starbucks and gas-pump savings promotions give MCD additional tools to increase traffic beyond its core lunch and dinner business. McDonald’s Takes Direct Aim at Starbucks
• Positive Sentiment: An employee scheduling and transportation app reportedly helped one franchisee reduce missed-shift costs by about $35,000 per month, suggesting potential restaurant-level efficiency benefits. Missed shifts were costly to this McDonald’s. An app has fixed the problem
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts note that MCD’s valuation is more attractive after its decline, while one bullish view sees substantial upside toward the roughly $316 consensus target. The company also remains viewed as a dependable dividend stock. McDonald’s Keeps Cratering: Why One Bullish Analyst Says 50% Gains Lie Ahead
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s latest quarterly earnings beat estimates, but revenue slightly missed forecasts. Franchise strength supported results, while investors remain focused on U.S. traffic and margins. McDonald’s Q2 Earnings Beat Puts U.S. Traffic and Margins in Focus
• Negative Sentiment: Numerator data showed sales among low-income customers fell 2.4% during the latest quarter, with Burger King gaining ground. This highlights the risk that elevated menu prices are pushing budget-conscious diners toward competitors. McDonald’s is losing ground to rivals like Burger King with a key customer group
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage flags rising beef and operating costs, difficult value execution and continued pressure on restaurant traffic. CEOs also cited cautious consumers and broader economic concerns, increasing execution risk for MCD. Burger King is taking a bite out of McDonald’s lunch

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.