McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give McDonald's a consensus "Hold" rating from 32 firms (2 sell, 13 hold, 17 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of about $339.38.
• McDonald's recently beat estimates with $3.12 EPS vs. $3.05 expected and $7.01B in revenue, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $1.86 (annualized $7.44, ~2.4% yield).
• Significant insider selling has occurred — executives sold 71,657 shares worth about $23.7M in the past 90 days (including EVP and CMO transactions); insiders own 0.26% of the stock.

McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the thirty-two research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $339.3793.

Several research firms have commented on MCD. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 target price on shares of McDonald's in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus raised shares of McDonald's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $380.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of McDonald's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $763,567.39. This trade represents a 73.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the company'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 sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,723,307. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald's

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in McDonald's by 236.7% in the third quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,976,000 after acquiring an additional 4,571 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its stake in McDonald's by 2.7% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $43,606,000 after acquiring an additional 3,774 shares during the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in McDonald's in the third quarter worth approximately $1,120,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 worth $5,691,000 after acquiring an additional 14,506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its stake in McDonald's by 2.5% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,533,015 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $465,868,000 after acquiring an additional 37,744 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More McDonald's News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street reacts favorably to McDonald’s new lower‑priced offering — UBS says the upcoming $3 menu reinforces McDonald’s value proposition and could support traffic and same‑store sales. McDonald's $3 menu is about to kick off
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and investors are bracing for the Q1 print — coverage notes McDonald’s will report quarterly results soon and consensus expects single‑digit EPS growth, which could limit upside unless the company provides stronger guidance. What You Need to Know Ahead of McDonald's Earnings Release
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp trimmed its price target from $354 to $345 but kept an Overweight rating — the cut narrows upside but the positive rating signals continued analyst confidence. Benzinga coverage of KeyCorp PT change
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate and brand stories (donations, product features, historical pieces) are circulating but are unlikely to move the stock materially in the near term. Examples: a local McDonald’s charitable donation and several feature stories on menu items and company history. Evgeni Malkin and Local McDonald's Donate
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term selling pressure: market commentary attributes the stock’s decline to profit‑taking and investors positioning ahead of earnings; pieces note MCD underperformed the broader market in the latest session. Here's Why McDonald's (MCD) Fell
• Negative Sentiment: Another recap of the intraday weakness appeared in Zacks, echoing the same short‑term drivers (profit‑taking, positioning). Watch for any catalyst in the earnings release that could deepen the move. Zacks: Here's Why McDonald's Fell

McDonald's Price Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $306.91 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $319.24 and a 200-day moving average of $311.95. The company has a market cap of $218.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald's has a one year low of $283.47 and a one year high of $341.75.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.83 EPS. Analysts expect that McDonald's will post 13.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald's's payout ratio is 62.26%.

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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