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

10 Jan 2026, 08:36 by Kim Johansen · The Markets Daily

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – Free Report) 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.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on McDonald’s

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 – Get Free Report) 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

(Get Free Report)

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.