McDonald’s (MCD) – Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Updates

Several analysts have recently updated their ratings and price targets for McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD):

• 8/26/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by Argus from $320.00 to $310.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/24/2026 – McDonald’s was upgraded by Robert W. Baird to “hold”.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by Guggenheim from $320.00 to $290.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s had its “market perform” rating reaffirmed by Sanford C. Bernstein. They now have a $295.00 price target on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s was given a new $305.00 price target by UBS Group AG.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Citigroup Inc. from $335.00 to $345.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $335.00 to $345.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by KeyCorp from $315.00 to $305.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s was upgraded by Freedom Capital from “hold” to “strong-buy”.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by Robert W. Baird from $305.00 to $285.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by Royal Bank Of Canada from $305.00 to $295.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by Morgan Stanley from $322.00 to $319.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – McDonald’s had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by BTIG Research. They now have a $350.00 price target on the stock.
• 8/4/2026 – McDonald’s had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by TD Cowen.
• 8/4/2026 – McDonald’s was given a new $286.00 price target by Piper Sandler.
• 7/31/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by Mizuho from $300.00 to $290.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 7/28/2026 – McDonald’s had its “sector perform” rating reaffirmed by Royal Bank Of Canada.
• 7/27/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by UBS Group AG from $365.00 to $340.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 7/24/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by BTIG Research from $370.00 to $350.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 7/23/2026 – McDonald’s was given a new $320.00 price target by Evercore Inc.
• 7/17/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target raised by Tigress Financial from $385.00 to $390.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 7/16/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $320.00 to $300.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 7/15/2026 – McDonald’s had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by KeyCorp.
• 7/15/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by Morgan Stanley from $331.00 to $322.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 7/15/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by Citigroup Inc. from $375.00 to $335.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 7/9/2026 – McDonald’s was given a new $325.00 price target by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft.
• 6/29/2026 – McDonald’s had its price target lowered by KeyCorp from $330.00 to $315.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 5,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.32, for a total transaction of $1,493,248.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,734 shares in the company, valued at $2,198,930.88. This represents a 40.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,763 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $278.36, for a total value of $769,108.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,760.48. This represents a 30.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.