McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target Raised to $372.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its target price raised by Barclays from $358.00 to $372.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning,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. Morgan Stanley set a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 17th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $328.88.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $307.27 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s has a 12-month low of $276.53 and a 12-month high of $326.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $307.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $304.78.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.23 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that McDonald’s will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $1.86 dividend. This is an increase from McDonald’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Ian Frederick Borden sold 17,134 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total transaction of $5,311,540.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,353 shares in the company, valued at $8,169,430. This trade represents a 39.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.00, for a total transaction of $795,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This trade represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090. Insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 162.5% in the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 142.9% in the second quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 85 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp raised 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 buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays published a bullish forecast for MCD, signaling strong expected price appreciation and supporting upside vs. peers. Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an overweight rating, suggesting confidence in growth/strategy that can support longer-term multiple expansion. Sanford C. Bernstein Overweight (coverage roundup)
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” with a $320 target — implies limited near-term catalyst but indicates room for modest upside from current levels. TD Cowen Hold Rating Reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: McDonald’s announced new and returning global menu items for 2026 — potential to boost customer traffic and average check if launches resonate. McDonald’s to Launch New and Returning Menu Items Worldwide in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Company says it’s changing its drive-thrus (operational update) — could improve throughput/experience but is execution-dependent. McDonald’s Is Changing Its Drive-Thrus
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets report a new lawsuit alleging McDonald’s “deceived” customers about McRib ingredients — this raises near-term PR/legal risk and could pressure sales of a promoted product. McDonald’s is facing serious allegations about the McRib McDonald’s Faces Lawsuit Claiming It ‘Deceived’ Customers About the McRib
• Negative Sentiment: Unions have accused McDonald’s of repeated harassment of mostly teenage staff — intensifies labor/PR scrutiny that can lead to fines, protests, or higher labor costs if issues persist. Unions accuse McDonald’s of ‘repeated harassment’ against ‘mostly teenage’ staff
• Neutral Sentiment: Local openings (e.g., Biltmore grand opening) signal continued unit activity but have limited immediate impact on the stock. Biltmore McDonald’s celebrates grand opening

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.