McDonald's (MCD) Projected to Post Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Key Points

• McDonald's will report Q1 2026 results before the market opens on May 7, with analysts forecasting EPS of $2.75 and revenue of $6.484 billion.
• In the prior quarter McDonald's beat estimates with $3.12 EPS and $7.01 billion in revenue, and it recently paid a quarterly dividend of $1.86 (annualized $7.44) for a 2.6% yield.
• Insiders have been net sellers (including a large CEO sale), while analyst sentiment is mixed—MarketBeat shows an average rating of "Hold" with an average target price of about $340.93 (16 Buys, 15 Holds, 1 Sell).

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) is expected to be releasing its Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Thursday, May 7th. Analysts expect McDonald's to post earnings of $2.75 per share and revenue of $6.4841 billion for the quarter. Interested persons are encouraged to explore the company's upcoming Q1 2026 earning overview page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 8:30 AM ET.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.83 EPS. On average, analysts expect McDonald's to post $13 EPS for the current fiscal year and $14 EPS for the next fiscal year.

McDonald's Price Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $290.20 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $206.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald's has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $341.75. The business's 50-day moving average is $314.95 and its 200-day moving average is $311.86.

McDonald's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were issued a $1.86 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. McDonald's's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MCD. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on McDonald's from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group upped their target price on McDonald's from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on McDonald's from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on McDonald's from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $340.93.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald's

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

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed a "buy" on MCD and set a lofty $370 price target, signaling bullish analyst conviction and long-term upside that can support the stock despite near-term weakness. BTIG Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald's is rolling out a new lineup of crafted beverages (refreshers and sodas) to U.S. restaurants — a higher‑margin menu push aimed at driving traffic and competing with specialty-beverage chains. Product innovation like this can help top-line growth and guest frequency. McDonald's Offers Fancier Drinks
• Positive Sentiment: Weakness at a premium competitor (Chipotle) highlights a relative advantage for lower-priced, convenience-focused QSR players like McDonald’s — a potential demand tailwind if consumers trade down. Chipotle Growth Concerns
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses praising McDonald’s brand, menu management and dividend characteristics continue to position MCD as a defensive, cash-generative holding for income-focused investors. The Genius Of McDonald's
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/industry research forecasts long-term growth for Canada’s foodservice market through 2034, which supports McDonald's expansion potential but is not an immediate catalyst. Canada Foodservice Market Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary asking whether the pullback is a buying opportunity provides balanced views for investors evaluating valuation versus growth prospects — useful market context but not a direct catalyst. Is It Time To Reassess McDonald's?
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage criticizing the new McValue menu as underwhelming could pressure same-store sales and pricing power if the rollout fails to meaningfully boost traffic. Investors view execution risk here as a near-term negative. McValue Menu Criticism
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group slightly trimmed FY2026 EPS forecasts and kept a "Hold" rating — a modest analyst downgrade that can add to selling pressure when combined with technical weakness. (Analyst note reported 4/27.)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent headlines noting the stock “sinking” and the observable pullback below recent moving averages are prompting short-term profit-taking and risk-off positioning among traders. McDonald's Stock Sinks

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,276 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.54, for a total transaction of $8,764,097.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,638,066. This represents a 53.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 6,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,990 shares of company stock worth $23,824,113. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in McDonald's by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,024,857 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $10,643,704,000 after acquiring an additional 196,505 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in McDonald's by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,474,749 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $2,895,768,000 after acquiring an additional 277,617 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in McDonald's by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,455,057 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,667,232,000 after acquiring an additional 34,484 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in McDonald's by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,571,831 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,397,289,000 after acquiring an additional 253,060 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP lifted its position in McDonald's by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,619,215 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,106,141,000 after acquiring an additional 244,340 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.29% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.