McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Earns Hold Rating from TD Cowen

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD)‘s stock had its “hold” rating restated by TD Cowen in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $320.00 price objective on the fast-food giant’s stock. TD Cowen’s target price would indicate a potential downside of 2.31% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Mizuho boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $300.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $337.04.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $327.58 on Thursday. McDonald’s has a fifty-two week low of $283.47 and a fifty-two week high of $335.67. The company has a market capitalization of $233.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a fifty day moving average of $313.02 and a 200 day moving average of $308.26.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.83 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that McDonald’s will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was 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 $8,169,430. This trade represents a 39.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total value of $2,006,218.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,133. This represents a 58.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 31,439 shares of company stock worth $9,772,464 in the last 90 days. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 142.9% during the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% during the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 95.7% during the 4th quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 92 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

McDonald’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and momentum — McDonald’s reported stronger-than-expected Q4 results (revenue ~ $7.0B, EPS beat, systemwide comps up ~5.7% with U.S. comps ~6.8%) and cited loyalty growth that helped drive sales and margins; this is the primary bullish catalyst supporting the stock. Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets — Several firms raised ratings/targets (Argus upgraded to Buy with a $380 target; Truist/BTIG raised targets toward ~$370), which can support further upside as sentiment shifts. Analyst Upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Buyback/dividend tailwind — Coverage notes that strong cash flow from Q4 and a healthy dividend yield support continued buybacks and payouts, a structural catalyst for EPS per-share gains over time. Buybacks & Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotions/brand buzz — Seasonal items and PR stunts (Shamrock Shake, McNugget kits) are driving traffic and media attention; helpful for short-term comps but likely temporary. Promotions
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — A disclosed sale by a senior U.S. executive (Form 4) may have added to near-term selling pressure as some investors lock in gains after the earnings pop. Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee execution risk — Reports of tension between corporate pricing/value pushes and some franchisees could complicate uniform execution and margins across markets, a potential headwind if disputes persist. Franchisee Tensions

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.