McDonald’s’ (MCD) “Overweight” Rating Reiterated at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed their overweight rating on shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) in a report released on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on MCD. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on McDonald’s from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. BTIG Research reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 24th. Citigroup dropped their price target on McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Friday, October 31st. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $328.88.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

MCD stock opened at $307.27 on Wednesday. McDonald’s has a 52 week low of $276.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The company has a market capitalization of $218.82 billion, a PE ratio of 26.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $307.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.78.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued 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). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The business had revenue of $7.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.23 EPS. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that McDonald’s will post 12.25 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In related news, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 6,567 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.50, for a total transaction of $2,006,218.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,407,133. The trade was a 58.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 value of $795,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,005,760. The trade was a 28.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. lifted its stake 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 worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Nova Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC increased its position 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp raised its stake in McDonald’s by 95.7% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More McDonald’s News

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.