Wedbush Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) had its price target lifted by stock analysts at Wedbush from $320.00 to $330.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the fast-food giant’s stock. Wedbush’s price objective points to a potential upside of 7.07% from the stock’s current price. Wedbush also issued estimates for McDonald’s’ Q2 2025 earnings at $3.12 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $3.39 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $12.37 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on MCD. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $342.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on McDonald’s from $321.00 to $324.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on McDonald’s from $350.00 to $342.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, McDonald’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $321.70.

McDonald’s Price Performance

Shares of McDonald’s stock opened at $308.22 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $290.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $291.16. McDonald’s has a 1 year low of $243.53 and a 1 year high of $317.90. The company has a market capitalization of $220.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 175.42% and a net margin of 31.79%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that McDonald’s will post 11.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at McDonald’s

In other news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total value of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.75, for a total value of $84,225.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,887 shares in the company, valued at $2,214,275.25. This represents a 3.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,406 shares of company stock valued at $2,150,857 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s during the third quarter worth $25,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in McDonald’s during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.