Brokerages Set McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) PT at $336.26

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have given a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $336.2593.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MCD shares. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $355.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings cut McDonald’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $325.00 to $305.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Cfra raised McDonald’s to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighted McDonald’s as a “rare mega-cap” with accelerating fundamentals, citing 3.8% global comparable sales growth, more than $9 billion in loyalty sales over 90 days, and 9.4% year-over-year revenue growth, which supports the bull case for the stock. McDonald’s Will Trade at This Price in 2028
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is testing AI-powered drive-thru ordering, and early results from a million orders appear promising; if rolled out successfully, this could improve efficiency and margins over time. McDonald’s Is Letting AI Take Your Orders Again. A Million Orders Later, the Results Look Promising.
• Positive Sentiment: Promotional activity tied to FIFA World Cup meals, collectible cups, and Squishmallows could help drive customer traffic and add some sales momentum. McDonald’s FIFA World Cup meals with Squishmallows and 9 collectible cups are here
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and investor commentary remains generally supportive, with reports noting McDonald’s continues to attract attention as a defensive, widely followed stock. McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by executive Joseph Erlinger may weigh on sentiment slightly, even though such sales do not necessarily reflect a change in business outlook. Joseph Erlinger Sells 5,252 Shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent coverage has also raised concerns about customer pushback on operational changes and workplace safety issues, which could create headline risk if they persist. Should McDonald’s AI Drive Thru Push and Safety Scrutiny Require Action From McDonald’s (MCD) Investors?

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,198,930.88. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 11,307 shares of company stock worth $3,262,622. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Peterson Wealth Services grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 3,294.5% during the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 11,779 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,600,000 after purchasing an additional 11,432 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 84.4% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 35,510 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $10,853,000 after purchasing an additional 16,252 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Sarl grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 64,256 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $19,639,000 after purchasing an additional 6,079 shares in the last quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 21,487 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 3,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth about $7,493,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of MCD stock opened at $284.88 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $202.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s fifty day moving average is $289.38 and its 200 day moving average is $306.75. McDonald’s has a twelve month low of $271.85 and a twelve month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 442.10% and a net margin of 31.62%.The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that McDonald’s will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 2nd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 61.34%.

McDonald’s Company Profile

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.