Brokerages Set McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) Price Target at $339.69

Shares of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the thirty-two analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $339.6897.

MCD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank raised McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCD traded up $0.03 on Friday, reaching $307.17. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,648,125 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,246,507. McDonald’s has a 1-year low of $283.47 and a 1-year high of $341.75. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $321.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $311.47. The firm has a market cap of $218.21 billion, a PE ratio of 25.70, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.53.

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

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.26%.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of McDonald’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 value of $8,764,097.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,638,066. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the business’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 value of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,657 shares of company stock valued at $23,722,204. 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. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 84.1% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 141,775 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $41,422,000 after acquiring an additional 64,757 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 236.7% during the 3rd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,976,000 after purchasing an additional 4,571 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in McDonald’s by 2.7% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $43,606,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares during the period. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $1,120,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 317.2% in the third quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $5,691,000 after purchasing an additional 14,506 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: New “Under $3” McValue menu and $4 breakfast deal could boost traffic and frequency by improving affordability and simplifying consumer choice; this is the primary catalyst investors are watching for higher same-store sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Simplifying value to 10 items under $3 (launch April 21) reduces complexity for franchisees and marketing, which could lift app engagement and conversion if executed at scale. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s broader growth initiatives — from a $100B beverage opportunity with McCafé rollouts to youth-focused promotions like the KPop Demon Hunters campaign — support longer-term traffic and AUV upside if they increase app use and repeat visits. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational and marketing experiments continue globally (e.g., McDonald’s Türkiye ‘Archie’ for gamers); these are small, localized innovations that may improve engagement but are unlikely to move near-term results materially. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate ops update — creation of a U.S. COO role (Skye Anderson returning) signals focus on U.S. execution; governance/organizational moves may help execution but are not an immediate earnings catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Promotional and value-heavy initiatives can compress margins in the near term; investors may price some caution as McDonald’s balances affordability with profitability. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term market/technical pressure: commentary and market moves have pushed MCD below its 50‑day moving average, which can weigh on momentum traders and amplify short-term weakness. Article Title

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.