McDonald’s’ (MCD) Hold Rating Reaffirmed at TD Cowen

TD Cowen restated their hold rating on shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. TD Cowen currently has a $320.00 price objective on the fast-food giant’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. BTIG Research restated a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Guggenheim increased their target price on McDonald’s from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $325.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $328.68.

McDonald’s Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of MCD stock opened at $308.92 on Thursday. McDonald’s has a 12 month low of $276.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The company has a market capitalization of $220.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $307.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $304.66.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.23 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that McDonald’s will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This is a positive change from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total value of $977,094.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 6,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,861,832.16. This trade represents a 34.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. WD Rutherford LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 1.0% in the third quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $991,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in McDonald’s by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,423 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $736,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Symmetry Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 1,771 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jackson Hole Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $3,352,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,669 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $507,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target substantially to $372 and kept an overweight rating, signaling stronger analyst confidence and providing upside to the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an overweight rating on MCD, supporting continued buy-side interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen maintained a “hold” with a $320 target (small upside vs. current levels), a reminder some analysts see more moderate near-term returns. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s announced new and returning global menu items for 2026 (including promotional tie-ins like Pokémon Happy Meals and returning Pokémon cards), which can boost traffic and seasonal sales. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Specific marketing promos—Pokémon Happy Meals and collectible cards—are confirmed for 2026, a low-cost demand driver that typically lifts transactions and visit frequency. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is changing its drive-thrus (operational changes could improve throughput and margins but require rollout and capex). Investors should watch execution and cost timing. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Local store-level activity: a Biltmore McDonald’s grand opening drew attention but is a small, localized sales event. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple lawsuits allege misleading McRib ingredients (claims about offal/pork heart/tripe), raising reputational and potential litigation risk that could pressure same-store sales or incur legal costs if escalated. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Follow-up reporting details the suit’s ingredient allegations in depth; investors should monitor legal filings and any regulatory attention. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Unions accuse McDonald’s of repeated harassment of largely teenage staff—labor and PR headwinds that could increase scrutiny and potential costs if organizing or fines follow. Read More.

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.