Morgan Stanley Lowers McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Price Target to $334.00

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its price target lowered by Morgan Stanley from $335.00 to $334.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the fast-food giant’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential upside of 10.03% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. KeyCorp lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $354.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $323.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $356.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $339.34.

McDonald’s Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE:MCD traded down $3.40 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $303.54. 737,455 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,224,284. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $319.24 and its 200-day moving average is $311.95. The firm has a market cap of $215.77 billion, a PE ratio of 25.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s has a twelve month low of $283.47 and a twelve month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.05 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.81 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.85% and a negative return on equity of 343.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.83 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s will post 13.22 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.29, for a total value of $2,066,731.29. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $763,567.39. This represents a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 2,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.00, for a total transaction of $806,182.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,578,800. This represents a 23.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 71,657 shares of company stock worth $23,723,307. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 236.7% during the 3rd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 6,502 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,976,000 after purchasing an additional 4,571 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 143,492 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $43,606,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares during the period. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in McDonald’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,120,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 317.2% during the 3rd quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 19,079 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $5,691,000 after purchasing an additional 14,506 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,533,015 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $465,868,000 after purchasing an additional 37,744 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts view McDonald’s upcoming $3 value menu as a constructive move for traffic and value positioning—this supports revenue resilience and same-store sales if it drives customer frequency. McDonald’s $3 menu is about to kick off. Here’s why Wall Street is already a fan.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are awaiting McDonald’s Q1 earnings; previews expect single‑digit bottom‑line growth, so Q1 results and commentary will be the key near‑term catalyst. What You Need to Know Ahead of McDonald’s Earnings Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains mixed: brokerages give McDonald’s an average “Hold” rating, reflecting balanced views on growth vs. valuation—this suggests limited analyst-driven upside until clearer data. McDonald’s Corporation Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs warns of potential near‑term consumer weakness: a softer consumer backdrop would hurt restaurant traffic and discretionary spend, making McDonald’s cyclical metrics more vulnerable. Goldman Sachs warns US consumers could have a challenging few months
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc trimmed its price target to $345 (from $354) and flagged a volatile 2026 outlook—lower targets and notes of uncertainty can pressure sentiment even when the rating remains Overweight. KeyBanc Cuts McDonald’s (MCD) Target to $345, Flags Volatile Outlook for 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/brand noise: McDonald’s quietly removed five menu items, prompting customer complaints—while likely immaterial to revenue, negative consumer publicity can dent sentiment in the short term. McDonald’s just axed 5 menu items without warning and fans say it’s ‘absurd’

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.