TD Cowen Cuts McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target to $300.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its target price decreased by TD Cowen from $330.00 to $300.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the fast-food giant’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target indicates a potential upside of 5.68% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on MCD. UBS Group boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price target on McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $354.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $340.24.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:MCD traded down $0.23 on Thursday, hitting $283.87. 6,585,334 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,357,969. McDonald’s has a 1 year low of $282.15 and a 1 year high of $341.75. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $312.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $311.57. The company has a market cap of $201.78 billion, a PE ratio of 23.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.43.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The company had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that McDonald’s will post 13.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total transaction of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 71,990 shares of company stock worth $23,824,113 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% in the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and revenue beat consensus — adjusted EPS $2.83 vs. ~$2.74 expected and revenue $6.52B, backed by global comparable sales growth and rising systemwide/loyalty sales. This is the primary driver of the stock strength. McDONALD’S REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2026 RESULTS
• Positive Sentiment: Value-focused marketing and a viral limited-time product (the “Big Arch” burger) helped drive U.S. comps and traffic, showing the company can offset a soft consumer backdrop with promotions and menu buzz. McDonald’s focus on value and a big new burger drive sales in the first quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth catalyst: McDonald’s plans to aggressively expand in China (targeting ~10,000 locations by end-2028), making the market a major growth lever even as some peers retreat. While many international brands retreat, McDonald’s is supersizing its China business
• Neutral Sentiment: Options and trading activity have picked up after the print (and beat), indicating increased short-term positioning and volatility expectations among traders. Options Traders Eyeing 2 Burger Giants After Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned consumer caution is rising and higher gas prices could pressure lower-income customers and future comps — a potential drag if energy costs remain elevated or the macro slowdown deepens. McDonald’s CEO: Consumer Caution Drives Demand for Value
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive dynamics: rivals like Burger King and others are improving performance in some markets, which could pressure share and margins regionally. Burger King eyes taking on McDonald’s Egg McMuffin

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.