McDonald’s’ (MCD) “Buy” Rating Reaffirmed at BTIG Research

BTIG Research reiterated their buy rating on shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) in a research report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $370.00 price target on the fast-food giant’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on McDonald’s from $305.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on McDonald’s from $335.00 to $334.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded McDonald’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $306.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $336.10.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.1%

McDonald’s stock traded down $3.13 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $280.57. The stock had a trading volume of 1,634,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,349,441. McDonald’s has a 52-week low of $278.60 and a 52-week high of $341.75. The company has a market capitalization of $199.44 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $311.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.40.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The company’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that McDonald’s will post 13.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total value of $1,553,052.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.72, for a total transaction of $100,805.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,067 shares in the company, valued at $2,442,042.24. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS purchased a new position in McDonald’s in the first quarter worth about $614,000. HORAN Wealth LLC raised its position in McDonald’s by 81.4% during the first quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 3,026 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $930,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the period. DJE Kapital AG raised its position in McDonald’s by 12.9% during the first quarter. DJE Kapital AG now owns 45,617 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $14,139,000 after purchasing an additional 5,200 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 995.1% in the 1st quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 87,171 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $27,092,000 after purchasing an additional 79,211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Summit Asset Management LLC now owns 1,734 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $539,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and revenue beat expectations — EPS of $2.83 and revenue of ~$6.52B, driven by global comparable-sales growth, loyalty and higher check sizes, which underpinned a recent rally in the shares. McDONALD’S REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2026 RESULTS
• Positive Sentiment: Product and beverage momentum — the viral “Big Arch” burger, new specialty drinks and an entry into a large beverage market are boosting traffic and higher-margin mix, supporting medium-term growth potential. McDonald’s focus on value and a big new burger drive sales in the first quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish analyst support remains — BTIG reaffirmed a “buy” with a $370 target, signaling continued upside from some buy-side research despite mixed PT moves elsewhere. Benzinga coverage of analyst ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed price-target revisions — KeyCorp trimmed its target (still “overweight”) and TD Cowen cut its target and moved to “hold,” leaving a range of analyst views that could limit near-term upside until clarity on consumer trends. Benzinga: analyst price-target changes
• Negative Sentiment: Management warning on consumer weakness and gas prices — CEO/Chair Chris Kempczinski cautioned that higher gasoline costs could disproportionately hit lower?income customers and reduce discretionary restaurant visits, raising near-term demand risk. McDonald’s posts strong earnings — but viral CEO warns gas prices may take bite out of future profits
• Negative Sentiment: Reputational/competitive headwinds — press about customer pushback and stronger competition (e.g., Burger King) creates execution risk around maintaining traffic and pricing power. McDonald’s Is Facing Intense Pushback After It Did What No Company Should Ever Do

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.