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

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

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $358.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. 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. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $325.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $335.63.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $331.78 on Thursday. McDonald’s has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $333.38. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $312.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $308.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 313.07% and a net margin of 31.85%.The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.83 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that McDonald’s will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be issued a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Insider Activity

In other McDonald’s news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $5,311,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,169,430. This represents a 39.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total transaction of $854,106.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,755,699.50. This represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 31,439 shares of company stock valued at $9,772,464 in the last three months. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MCD. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 162.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. increased its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 142.9% during the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 95.7% in the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 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: Q4 beat — McDonald’s reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results (revenue up ~9.7% YoY; EPS topped consensus), a primary bullish catalyst for the stock. McDonald’s Q4 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates, Rise Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Value-driven traffic recovery — Management says Extra Value Meals, $5 meal bundles and promotions lifted U.S. traffic and drove the fastest comparable-sales growth in over two years, while loyalty engagement climbed strongly. McDONALD’S REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025 RESULTS
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/targets rising — Multiple firms have raised price targets and reiterated Buy/Overweight ratings after the beat, supporting upside momentum. MCD Price Target Raised at Truist (example)
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing/pop-culture buzz — Stunts like free McNugget “caviar” kits and the seasonal Shamrock Shake generated headlines and short-term traffic spikes; good for brand momentum but limited long-term earnings impact. McDonald’s launches McNugget caviar kits
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee tensions — Some franchisees are resisting centralized pricing/value directives; uneven local execution or disputes could limit consistent margin or traffic benefits. Value is the key to McDonald’s growth plans, but it’s creating tensions with some franchisees
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — A senior U.S. executive disclosed a ~2,626-share sale (~$854k), which some investors view as profit-taking after the earnings pop. SEC Form 4: Joseph M. Erlinger sale

About McDonald’s

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.