Zacks Research Estimates McDonald's' Q4 Earnings (NYSE:MCD)

McDonald's Co. (NYSE:MCD - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2025 earnings per share estimates for McDonald's in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, May 15th. Zacks Research analyst H. Ray now expects that the fast-food giant will post earnings of $3.06 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $3.09. The consensus estimate for McDonald's' current full-year earnings is $12.25 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for McDonald's' Q1 2026 earnings at $2.85 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $3.39 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $3.57 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.30 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $13.11 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.15 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $14.53 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on MCD. Northcoast Research downgraded shares of McDonald's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Truist Financial set a $350.00 price objective on shares of McDonald's in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $292.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $353.00 to $364.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wedbush boosted their price objective on shares of McDonald's from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $325.91.

McDonald's Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $318.51 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $227.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. McDonald's has a 52 week low of $243.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $310.04 and a 200 day moving average of $300.76.

McDonald's (NYSE:MCD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The fast-food giant reported $2.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.67. The firm had revenue of $5.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.17 billion. McDonald's had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%. McDonald's's quarterly revenue was down 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 earnings per share.

Insider Activity at McDonald's

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 939 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.50, for a total value of $299,071.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,853,850. This represents a 7.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 3,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.76, for a total value of $962,432.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 9,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,964,892.08. The trade was a 24.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,636 shares of company stock valued at $5,420,722 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald's

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in McDonald's in the fourth quarter valued at $1,870,000. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald's by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 25,926 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $7,516,000 after purchasing an additional 3,533 shares during the last quarter. Financial & Tax Architects LLC boosted its holdings in McDonald's by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Financial & Tax Architects LLC now owns 22,982 shares of the fast-food giant's stock valued at $6,662,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 62,952 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $18,249,000 after acquiring an additional 3,795 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. boosted its stake in shares of McDonald's by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 4,366 shares of the fast-food giant's stock worth $1,229,000 after acquiring an additional 726 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About McDonald's

McDonald's Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.

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