McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by Erste Group Bank

27 Apr 2026, 11:08 by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat Gem

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Finviz reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on MCD. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $340.93.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on MCD

McDonald’s Stock Down 1.1%

MCD traded down $3.39 during trading on Monday, hitting $295.97. The company had a trading volume of 362,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,211,360. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $317.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $312.06. The company has a market capitalization of $210.39 billion, a PE ratio of 24.82, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. McDonald’s has a one year low of $283.47 and a one year high of $341.75.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The fast-food giant reported $3.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.83 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that McDonald’s will post 13.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at McDonald’s

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 26,277 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.35, for a total transaction of $8,706,883.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,900 shares in the company, valued at $7,587,915. This trade represents a 53.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 6,201 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $763,567.39. The trade was a 73.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 71,990 shares of company stock valued at $23,824,113. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On McDonald’s

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in McDonald’s by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,750 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $535,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Encompass More Asset Management boosted its position in shares of McDonald’s by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Encompass More Asset Management now owns 2,120 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Richmond Investment Services LLC grew its stake in McDonald’s by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Richmond Investment Services LLC now owns 2,278 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. increased its holdings in McDonald’s by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. now owns 8,809 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $2,692,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WD Rutherford LLC lifted its stake in McDonald’s by 1.0% in the third quarter. WD Rutherford LLC now owns 3,261 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $991,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting McDonald’s

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

Positive Sentiment: Major brand collaboration and toys are driving marketing momentum and likely short-term traffic and AUV lift: McDonald’s launched a high-profile “Stranger Things” Happy Meal promotion that’s getting wide coverage and nostalgic consumer buzz. McDonald’s launches ‘Stranger Things’ Happy Meal
Positive Sentiment: Repeat coverage of the tie‑in across outlets reinforces national attention and free marketing, supporting traffic and customer frequency. TheStreet – Stranger Things Happy Meal
Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Advisors Capital Management increased its MCD stake, signaling continued confidence from some money managers and providing incremental demand for the shares. Advisors Capital raises holdings
Positive Sentiment: Analyst/feature optimism: A bullish retail piece ranks MCD among attractive low‑risk, high‑growth stocks, highlighting McDonald’s data/real‑estate and AI investments as drivers of longer-term margin and growth visibility. Yahoo Finance – MCD low risk high growth
Neutral Sentiment: Menu and product tweaks (secret menu talk, protein badges, “best burger” writeups, breakfast ordering tips) are generating consumer interest and may modestly affect mix or check size but are unlikely to move fundamentals alone. MSN – secret menu
Neutral Sentiment: Consumer-interest features and human-interest pieces (e.g., CEO’s quirky topping story, breakfast hacks) raise brand engagement but have limited investor impact. Yahoo – CEO topping story
Negative Sentiment: Cost pressure and margin risk: reporting notes rising food costs and a tougher environment for quick‑service sales; that backdrop means promotions and pricing moves will be key to sustain traffic and margins. TheStreet – operating environment
Negative Sentiment: Customer-fee experiment could weigh on traffic: McDonald’s is testing a $3.50 fee (reporting indicates tests in some locations) intended to offset rising costs — a risk to transaction counts and consumer sentiment if rolled out broadly. MSN – $3.50 fee test

McDonald’s Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.