JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock Price

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its price target increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $305.00 to $325.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the fast-food giant’s stock.

MCD has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Oppenheimer raised shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Argus raised shares of McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $337.57.

McDonald’s Stock Down 0.4%

MCD stock opened at $333.23 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $315.34 and a 200 day moving average of $309.60. The firm has a market cap of $237.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.52. McDonald’s has a twelve month low of $283.47 and a twelve month high of $336.00.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.83 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that McDonald’s will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total value of $2,006,218.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,407,133. This represents a 58.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total value of $795,520.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 71,550 shares of company stock worth $23,484,957 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in McDonald’s by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,750 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $535,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Encompass More Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Encompass More Asset Management now owns 2,120 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Richmond Investment Services LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Richmond Investment Services LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. now owns 8,809 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $2,692,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WD Rutherford LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $991,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s is rolling its Big Arch Burger into U.S. menus for a limited time — a larger, promotional sandwich that has driven traffic in other markets and fits the “bigger-burger” trend; this could boost short‑term ticket and visit frequency. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Seasonal and promotional menu items continue: the Shamrock Shake campaign is back, driving brand engagement and incremental visits around St. Patrick’s Day. These limited-time items support traffic and social buzz. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s India (West & South) owner Westlife Foodworld is running a Protein Week with low-price, app-focused protein options and free delivery promo — a targeted, value-led push that can grow AUVs and digital ordering in a fast-growing market. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: JPMorgan raised its MCD price target to $325 and kept an Overweight rating, and Erste Group upgraded MCD to Buy, signaling confidence in sales momentum and McDonald’s financial profile for 2026. Note JPMorgan’s new PT still sits modestly below the current quote, so upside expectations are mixed. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term perspective pieces highlight MCD’s solid multi‑year returns and low‑volatility dividend profile; useful context for investors weighing valuation vs. growth, but not immediate catalysts. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational tweak: McDonald’s updated cash handling/check-out rules as pennies phase out — a minor customer-experience and cost/handling change with limited stock impact. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/market weakness (broader market sell-off and Dow declines) is pressuring equities including MCD today — an external headwind that can overwhelm company-specific positives in the near term. 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.