McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Stock Rating Lowered by Freedom Broker

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) was downgraded by stock analysts at Freedom Broker from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $298.00 price objective on the fast-food giant’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $305.00. Freedom Broker‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 7.83% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on MCD. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $285.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on McDonald’s from $285.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on McDonald’s from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on McDonald’s in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $250.00 price objective on McDonald’s in a report on Friday, September 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $297.82.

McDonald’s Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE MCD traded down $1.68 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $276.36. 6,331,310 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,495,061. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $248.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $282.57. The company has a market cap of $195.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.42. McDonald’s has a 12-month low of $229.20 and a 12-month high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The fast-food giant reported $3.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.38 by $0.19. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.72% and a negative return on equity of 572.06%. The business had revenue of $7.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.28 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.22 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that McDonald’s will post 12.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,080,505 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $9,752,921,000 after acquiring an additional 646,675 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in McDonald’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,359,276,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in McDonald’s by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,637,785 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,130,587,000 after purchasing an additional 533,448 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in McDonald’s by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,089,980 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $649,545,000 after purchasing an additional 134,480 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in McDonald’s by 3.4% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,909,321 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $593,366,000 after purchasing an additional 62,562 shares during the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More McDonald’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target to $320 from $310 and reiterated a “buy” rating, signaling confidence in the stock’s prospects. Argus rating
• Neutral Sentiment: McDonald’s is testing value bundles at nearly 2,000 U.S. restaurants, ahead of a planned national value platform in early 2027. The deals may help bring back customers, but the company is still assessing their effect on traffic and orders. McDonald’s value-bundle test
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-quarter profit beat analyst estimates, but revenue missed and U.S. comparable sales declined. That mixed backdrop helps explain why investors are watching for evidence that value promotions can sustain a domestic recovery. Q3 earnings and U.S. traffic
• Negative Sentiment: Consumers have filed a lawsuit alleging McDonald’s labeled McCafé drinks “sugar free” despite some containing as much as 18 grams of sugar. The allegations are unproven, but the case could create legal and reputational risk. McCafé labeling lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker cut its rating from “buy” to “hold” and lowered its price target to $298 from $305, adding a more cautious view alongside the recent analyst optimism. Freedom Broker rating change

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald’s Corporation is a global quick-service restaurant company that operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand. Its restaurants serve a menu that includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries, breakfast items, desserts, salads, beverages and coffee. Offerings vary by market, and many locations provide drive-thru service, delivery and digital ordering through the McDonald’s mobile app.

The company operates through a heavily franchised business model, with restaurants owned and operated by independent franchisees, affiliates and the company itself.