KeyCorp Issues Positive Forecast for McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock Price

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its target price raised by KeyCorp from $280.00 to $307.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. KeyCorp currently has an overweight rating on the fast-food giant’s stock.

MCD has been the subject of several other research reports. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $309.00 to $293.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Freedom Capital raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $295.00 to $250.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Loop Capital cut their target price on McDonald’s from $301.00 to $273.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $339.00 to $343.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $297.52.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCD opened at $278.06 on Thursday. McDonald’s has a 52-week low of $229.20 and a 52-week high of $341.75. The stock has a market cap of $196.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $248.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $282.70.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.19. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 671.56% and a net margin of 32.38%. The business had revenue of $7.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that McDonald’s will post 12.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $1.93 per share. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.86. This represents a $7.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 61.08%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MCD. State Street Corp grew its stake in McDonald’s by 1.8% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,080,505 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $9,752,921,000 after buying an additional 646,675 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,359,276,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,637,785 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,130,587,000 after buying an additional 533,448 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,089,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $649,545,000 after buying an additional 134,480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,909,321 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $593,366,000 after buying an additional 62,562 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $3.57 topped estimates, supported by stronger franchised margins and international performance. The company also said U.S. sales improved as the quarter progressed. Article: McDonald’s Q3 Earnings Beat, but U.S. Traffic Still Pressures Growth
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is testing value-menu options at about 1,900 U.S. restaurants, with a possible nationwide launch in early 2027. The initiative, alongside digital deals, is intended to attract budget-conscious customers and revive sales. Article: McDonald’s plans new value menu offerings next year to boost sluggish sales
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms raised their price targets and retained positive ratings: Citi to $315 (Buy), KeyCorp to $307 (Overweight), and Wells Fargo to $300 (Overweight). JPMorgan also lifted its target, to $270, but its target is below the cited share price.
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s will divide its U.S. chief marketing officer’s responsibilities between two executives on an interim basis while searching for a replacement—a leadership change amid efforts to address declining sales. Article: McDonald’s US CMO steps down as sales decline
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue of $7.16 billion missed estimates, and U.S. comparable sales fell 0.2%—the first decline in six quarters—as cost-of-living pressures weigh on customer traffic. This remains a key risk to sustained growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer warned that technical indicators look stretched after shares climbed more than 20%, raising the risk that near-term gains may be difficult to sustain. Article: McDonald’s Stock Rally Runs Into Wall Street Warning

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corporation is a global quick-service restaurant company that operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand. Its restaurants serve a menu that includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, breakfast items, desserts, salads, beverages and coffee. Offerings vary by market, and many locations provide drive-thru service, delivery and digital ordering through the McDonald’s mobile app.

The company operates through a heavily franchised business model, with restaurants owned and operated by independent franchisees, affiliates and the company itself.