McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $336.00 and last traded at $334.7740, with a volume of 278811 shares. The stock had previously closed at $334.56.

Key Headlines Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Erste Group raised MCD to “Buy,” saying sales should accelerate in 2026 vs. 2025 and highlighting McDonald’s strong financial profile; analyst upgrades can lift sentiment and attract flows. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Major menu push — McDonald’s is rolling out the “Big Arch” / new large sandwich in the U.S. in early March, part of a broader strategy to lean into larger-premium burgers and drive ticket growth and store traffic. Product news and menu experimentation that generate buzz tend to support sales momentum. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate — commentary asks whether recent multi‑year gains leave MCD fully priced; the piece provides return context (strong multi‑year performance) and reminds investors to weigh growth vs. premium valuation. This tempers but doesn’t negate positive operational news. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor interest story — a consumer‑friendly piece shows hypothetical returns if you invested $1K at the start of 2025, underscoring recent share gains and visibility for retail investors (supports sentiment but not fundamentals). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational tweak — McDonald’s updated cash/rounding rules as pennies vanish in some markets; small customer experience and checkout changes can slightly affect transaction flow but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro market context — broader market volatility (Dow weakness, sector swings) can pressure sentiment intraday even for defensive names like MCD; this is a market‑wide driver rather than company‑specific. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MCD has been the subject of several research reports. BTIG Research increased their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays raised their price objective on McDonald’s from $372.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $337.04.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $314.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $309.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $238.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.05 by $0.07. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 343.90% and a net margin of 31.85%.The company had revenue of $7.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.83 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that McDonald’s Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.86 dividend. This represents a $7.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.26%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.25, for a total value of $854,106.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,398 shares in the company, valued at $1,755,699.50. This trade represents a 32.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 4,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $331.00, for a total transaction of $1,553,052.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 6,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,052,200. This trade represents a 43.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,550 shares of company stock valued at $23,484,957. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. increased its position in 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s by 162.5% in the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 84 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp lifted its holdings in 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. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

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.