Zacks Research Forecasts McDonald’s’ Q2 Earnings (NYSE:MCD)

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for McDonald’s in a report issued on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the fast-food giant will earn $3.33 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $3.39. The consensus estimate for McDonald’s’ current full-year earnings is $12.93 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for McDonald’s’ Q3 2026 earnings at $3.45 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.34 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $12.95 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.07 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.60 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.74 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.73 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $14.14 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $3.34 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $15.40 EPS.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.47 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.62% and a negative return on equity of 442.10%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on MCD. Robert W. Baird set a $305.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Argus upgraded McDonald’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $380.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $345.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 8th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $334.45.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCD opened at $282.48 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $299.71 and a 200-day moving average of $309.34. The company has a market capitalization of $200.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.43. McDonald’s has a 52-week low of $271.98 and a 52-week high of $341.75.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.86 per share. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 2nd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 333 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 8,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,442,042.24. This trade represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,585 shares of company stock worth $1,769,209. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MCD. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, DecisionPoint Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1,616.7% during the 4th quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC now owns 103 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 97 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: McDonald’s declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.86 per share, reinforcing its appeal as a dependable income stock and signaling ongoing confidence in cash generation. McDONALD’S ANNOUNCES QUARTERLY CASH DIVIDEND
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighted McDonald’s efforts to refresh its menu and customer experience, including new beverage additions, AI-driven drive-thru concepts, and other innovation-focused changes that could support traffic and sales. McDonald’s CEO shares major beverage menu additions
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s confirmed plans for a restaurant in historic Castlemaine, a small expansion item that is unlikely to materially move the stock on its own. McDonald’s confirms plan for restaurant in historic Castlemaine
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary suggested McDonald’s investment story is shifting as growth and valuation expectations are reset, which reflects changing sentiment rather than a clear operational surprise. Why The McDonald’s (MCD) Investment Story Is Shifting As Analysts Reset Growth And Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Articles about “shrinkflation” and smaller McNuggets could pressure sentiment if consumers view McDonald’s as offering less value, potentially weighing on brand perception. Shrinkflation hits McDonald’s as customers say McNuggets are half the size they used to be
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting that customers are divided on McDonald’s specialty drinks suggests product experimentation may not be universally resonating yet. Why McDonald’s Customers Are Divided On Its Specialty Drinks

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.