Q1 Earnings Estimate for McDonald’s Issued By Zacks Research

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) – Research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for McDonald’s in a report released on Monday, February 24th. Zacks Research analyst H. Ray now expects that the fast-food giant will post earnings of $2.65 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.70. The consensus estimate for McDonald’s’ current full-year earnings is $12.25 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for McDonald’s’ Q2 2025 earnings at $3.07 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $3.29 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $3.09 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $12.09 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.88 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $3.40 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $3.58 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.31 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $13.18 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $14.51 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $347.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup upped their price target on McDonald’s from $336.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on McDonald’s from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD stock opened at $309.88 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $293.75 and a 200-day moving average of $294.82. The stock has a market cap of $222.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.21, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.74. McDonald’s has a 52-week low of $243.53 and a 52-week high of $317.90.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 181.63% and a net margin of 31.73%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of McDonald’s during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in McDonald’s in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In other McDonald’s news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 10,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.05, for a total value of $3,255,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 32,756 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,155,997.80. This trade represents a 24.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 10,459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.71, for a total transaction of $3,228,797.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,421,918.26. This trade represents a 69.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 32,504 shares of company stock worth $9,897,305 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.16%.

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, Spain, and the U.K.