Barclays Lowers McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) Price Target to $350.00

Key Points

• Barclays lowers price target: Barclays cut its McDonald's target from $380 to $350 but kept an "overweight" rating, implying roughly a 25% upside and sitting above the MarketBeat consensus target of $336.10.
• Q1 results exceeded expectations: McDonald's reported EPS of $2.83 (vs. $2.74 est.) and revenue of $6.52B (vs. $6.47B est.), though the stock traded down to $280.63 on the day.
• Mixed analyst views and near-term risks: Analyst price targets range from about $306 to $370 with 17 Buys and 14 Holds, while management warned that higher gas prices and competitive/reputational headwinds could pressure demand; insider selling has also been notable recently.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by equities researchers at Barclays from $380.00 to $350.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the fast-food giant's stock. Barclays's target price would indicate a potential upside of 24.72% from the company's previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $370.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Thursday. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of McDonald's from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $306.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $345.00 to $330.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of McDonald's from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $336.10.

McDonald's Price Performance

MCD stock traded down $3.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $280.63. 1,634,419 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,349,441. The company has a 50-day moving average of $311.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $311.40. The company has a market capitalization of $199.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.43. McDonald's has a twelve month low of $278.60 and a twelve month high of $341.75.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. McDonald's had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that McDonald's will post 13.17 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald's

In other McDonald's news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total value of $8,706,883.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,587,915. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares in the company, valued at $2,052,200. The trade was a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113 over the last ninety days. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of 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 position 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 position in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the company's stock.

Key McDonald's News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and revenue beat expectations — EPS of $2.83 and revenue of ~$6.52B, driven by global comparable-sales growth, loyalty and higher check sizes, which underpinned a recent rally in the shares. McDONALD'S REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2026 RESULTS
• Positive Sentiment: Product and beverage momentum — the viral "Big Arch" burger, new specialty drinks and an entry into a large beverage market are boosting traffic and higher-margin mix, supporting medium-term growth potential. McDonald's focus on value and a big new burger drive sales in the first quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst support remains — BTIG reaffirmed a "buy" with a $370 target, signaling continued upside from some buy-side research despite mixed PT moves elsewhere. Benzinga coverage of analyst ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed price-target revisions — KeyCorp trimmed its target (still "overweight") and TD Cowen cut its target and moved to "hold," leaving a range of analyst views that could limit near-term upside until clarity on consumer trends. Benzinga: analyst price-target changes
• Negative Sentiment: Management warning on consumer weakness and gas prices — CEO/Chair Chris Kempczinski cautioned that higher gasoline costs could disproportionately hit lower‑income customers and reduce discretionary restaurant visits, raising near-term demand risk. McDonald’s posts strong earnings — but viral CEO warns gas prices may take bite out of future profits
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/competitive headwinds — press about customer pushback and stronger competition (e.g., Burger King) creates execution risk around maintaining traffic and pricing power. McDonald’s Is Facing Intense Pushback After It Did What No Company Should Ever Do

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.

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