TD Cowen Reiterates “Hold” Rating for McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD)

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD)‘s stock had its “hold” rating restated by TD Cowen in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $320.00 price objective on the fast-food giant’s stock. TD Cowen’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 4.14% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on MCD. Oppenheimer raised shares of McDonald’s from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on McDonald’s from $360.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $325.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Thirteen 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $328.88.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE:MCD opened at $307.27 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $307.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $304.78. McDonald’s has a 1-year low of $276.53 and a 1-year high of $326.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.22, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.53.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $7.10 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 32.04% and a negative return on equity of 280.89%. The firm’s quarterly 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 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 2,486 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,268 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,760. This represents a 28.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total value of $977,094.90. Following the sale, the insider owned 6,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,861,832.16. The trade was a 34.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 42,516 shares of company stock valued at $13,036,090. 0.25% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the second quarter worth about $2,780,712,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of McDonald’s by 29,382.3% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,737,548 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,676,339,000 after acquiring an additional 5,718,087 shares during the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,412,069,000. Viking Global Investors LP increased its stake in McDonald’s by 171.7% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,125,432 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $913,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974,998 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 96.0% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 4,032,676 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,188,147,000 after buying an additional 1,974,751 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key 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.