Yahoo · Aug 14, 2026
Are Innovative Beverages Enough to Turn McDonald's Around?
Part of the company's growth strategy is to add interesting menu items while simplifying operations.
NYSE · MCD
McDonald's Corporation
Consumer Cyclical · Restaurants
$272.25
Up+$0.58 (+0.21%)
Updated Aug 14, 2026, 11:54 PM
SID Score
6.2/10
Composite research score
Smart Money
65/100
Neutral
- Market cap
- 221.32B
- P/E ratio
- 26.37
- Dividend yield
- 2.63%
- 52-week range
- $260.96 – $341.75
- Volume
- 4.02M
- Avg. volume
- 3.13M
Price performance
MCD price history
1M range · 21 trading sessions · Daily adjusted prices
MCD closed at $272.25 after 21 trading sessions, down 0.44% for the selected period.
- Last close
- $272.25
- Period change
- -0.44%
- Period low
- $262.80
- Period high
- $276.26
Daily close
View OHLC price history
| Date | Open | High | Low | Close | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2026 | $277.38 | $278.37 | $272.15 | $272.25 | 4.02M |
| Aug 12, 2026 | $271.93 | $276.20 | $268.76 | $275.70 | 4.35M |
| Aug 11, 2026 | $273.23 | $274.21 | $271.32 | $274.15 | 3.03M |
| Aug 10, 2026 | $274.14 | $275.75 | $270.36 | $273.72 | 4.74M |
| Aug 7, 2026 | $274.51 | $276.87 | $273.285 | $274.48 | 4.91M |
| Aug 6, 2026 | $276.00 | $276.83 | $271.76 | $276.26 | 4.21M |
| Aug 5, 2026 | $271.64 | $275.30 | $269.01 | $274.00 | 4.78M |
| Aug 4, 2026 | $270.33 | $271.53 | $264.305 | $268.34 | 7.49M |
| Aug 3, 2026 | $275.71 | $276.33 | $265.23 | $265.23 | 7.44M |
| Jul 31, 2026 | $267.12 | $271.07 | $265.52 | $270.64 | 4.97M |
| Jul 30, 2026 | $270.49 | $271.80 | $266.31 | $268.44 | 4.04M |
| Jul 29, 2026 | $272.63 | $273.03 | $270.2501 | $271.52 | 3.65M |
| Jul 28, 2026 | $276.21 | $278.70 | $271.63 | $273.02 | 5.26M |
| Jul 27, 2026 | $267.50 | $271.165 | $266.80 | $270.67 | 4.88M |
| Jul 24, 2026 | $263.79 | $266.46 | $262.90 | $264.76 | 3.7M |
| Jul 23, 2026 | $261.58 | $264.02 | $260.96 | $262.80 | 5.11M |
| Jul 22, 2026 | $265.70 | $265.97 | $261.85 | $263.57 | 4.52M |
| Jul 21, 2026 | $266.52 | $266.8677 | $263.65 | $263.91 | 3.54M |
| Jul 20, 2026 | $269.75 | $270.00 | $266.26 | $267.64 | 3.69M |
| Jul 17, 2026 | $275.00 | $276.36 | $267.19 | $267.71 | 3.78M |
| Jul 16, 2026 | $266.75 | $273.59 | $265.99 | $273.46 | 4.81M |
Latest MCD news
The latest Smart Investors Daily articles mentioning MCD.
Stock researchCompany · Overview
MCD research
Overview
Company profile and research snapshot.
Company profile
McDonald's is the world's largest restaurant brand, with nearly $131 billion in systemwide sales across more than 44,000 restaurants and over 100 markets. The quick-service chain built its early reputation on speed, consistency, and affordable hamburgers, and today its global menu spans burgers, chicken, breakfast, and beverages that have helped popularize American fast-food cuisine worldwide. The firm derives the bulk of its revenue from franchise royalties and rent (about 61%), with the remainder stemming from company-operated restaurants across three segments: the United States (41% of systemwide sales), international operated markets (34%), and international developmental/licensed markets (25%).
Visit company websiteAnalyst outlook
Consensus and target data currently published for this company.
- Consensus
- Buy
- Average target
- $325.22
- Implied upside
- —
- Analysts
- 23
| Date | Firm | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 2026 | Guggenheim | Neutral | — |
| Aug 5, 2026 | BTIG | Buy | — |
| Aug 5, 2026 | RBC Capital | Sector Perform | — |
| Aug 5, 2026 | Citigroup | Buy | — |
| Aug 5, 2026 | Keybanc | Overweight | — |
News briefing
No generated briefing is available yet.
Yahoo · Aug 13, 2026
McDonald's (MCD): Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q2 Earnings?
Over the past six months, McDonald’s stock price fell to $273.75. Shareholders have lost 15.3% of their capital, which is disappointing considering the S&P 500 has climbed by 11.7%. This might have investors contemplating their next move.
Yahoo · Aug 13, 2026
Arcos Dorados Shares Jump 7% as Q2 Earnings Beat and Revenue Hits Record
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ARCO) shares climbed 7% after the Latin American McDonald’s franchisee delivered second-quarter earnings and revenue above Wall Street forecasts.
Yahoo · Aug 13, 2026
5 Insightful Analyst Questions From McDonald's’s Q2 Earnings Call
McDonald’s second quarter results landed in line with Wall Street’s revenue expectations, with earnings slightly above consensus. Management attributed the quarter’s muted U.S. performance to inconsistent execution of value menus and operational complexity at the restaurant level. CEO Chris Kempczinski stated, “We simply didn’t execute at the level we needed to in the second quarter,” highlighting that U.S. restaurant teams struggled with too many simultaneous deployments and underwhelming marke
AI research layers
Interpretive context generated from the platform’s current data sources.
McDonald's Corporation Stock Performance
McDonald's Corporation shares traded at $272.25, reflecting a daily decline of approximately 2.26% per SID market data. Over the trailing one-month period, MCD posted a modest gain of 2.51%, while the three-month return was essentially flat at 0.31%. On a one-year basis, the stock recorded a negative return of 9.58%, underperforming the broader market. Technically, MCD traded slightly below its 50-day moving average of $273.72 and significantly below its 200-day moving average of $302.19, indicating sustained downward pressure relative to longer-term trends. The 14-day relative strength index registered at 67.0, approaching but not yet reaching overbought territory. According to Massive/Polygon data, average daily trading volume stood at approximately 3.13 million shares. The stock's beta of 0.521 confirms its historically lower volatility relative to the broader market, consistent with its defensive consumer franchise positioning.
McDonald's Corporation Valuation Analysis
McDonald's Corporation carried a market capitalization of approximately $221.3 billion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.37 based on trailing earnings per SID market data. The PEG ratio stood at an elevated 8.83, suggesting the current earnings multiple is high relative to the company's projected earnings growth rate. The company maintained a dividend yield of approximately 2.31%, according to SEC filings, providing income support for shareholders during a period of price weakness. Notably, MCD reported a negative price-to-book ratio of approximately negative 80.18, a function of the company's negative shareholders' equity driven by extensive share repurchase programs and leverage on its balance sheet. This negative book value is a structural characteristic rather than a distress signal, reflecting McDonald's asset-light franchise model and aggressive capital return strategy. The stock is classified within the Consumer Cyclical sector, though its franchise-heavy business model exhibits defensive characteristics.
Smart Money Activity for MCD
McDonald's Corporation received an overall smart money score of 65 out of 100, reflecting a neutral composite signal per SID market data. Institutional ownership scored a perfect 25 out of 25, indicating strong conviction among large asset managers and mutual funds. Congressional trading activity also registered a notably high score of 23.4 out of 25, suggesting significant positioning by members of Congress and their disclosed portfolios. In contrast, insider sentiment scored 9.1 out of 25 and dark pool activity registered 7.2 out of 25, reflecting more muted signals from corporate executives and off-exchange institutional block trades. According to SEC Form 4 filings, there were 7 insider transactions recorded over the last 90 days, comprising 4 purchases and 3 sales. The slight skew toward insider buying provides a marginally constructive data point, though the overall insider score remains below average. The divergence between institutional and insider signals contributes to the neutral composite reading.
McDonald's Corporation Earnings Outlook
McDonald's Corporation reported its most recent quarterly earnings of $3.38 per share, exceeding the consensus estimate of $3.34 by $0.04, according to company earnings reports. This modest positive surprise of approximately 1.2% reflected steady operational execution. Looking ahead, analyst estimates project earnings of $3.34 per share for each of the next three upcoming quarters, suggesting Wall Street anticipates stable but flat sequential performance. The uniformity of estimates across forward quarters indicates limited near-term catalysts for meaningful earnings acceleration or deceleration in analyst models. The next scheduled earnings release is dated August 2026, per SID consensus data. The company's ability to sustain earnings near current levels will depend on same-store sales trends, menu pricing dynamics, and international market performance. The narrow beat in the most recent quarter aligns with McDonald's historical pattern of consistent but incremental outperformance relative to consensus expectations.
Wall Street Analyst Ratings for MCD
Recent Wall Street analyst activity for McDonald's Corporation reflected a mixed but generally constructive consensus. According to SID consensus data, Citigroup and BTIG both maintained Buy ratings as of August 2026, while Keybanc reiterated its Overweight rating, signaling above-market return expectations. On the neutral side, Guggenheim maintained its Neutral rating, and RBC Capital reiterated a Sector Perform assessment, indicating expectations for performance in line with industry peers. Notably, none of the five most recent analyst actions involved a downgrade or a reduction in conviction, with all firms reaffirming their prior ratings per Wall Street analyst reports. The distribution of ratings skews modestly positive, with three of five analysts holding constructive positions versus two neutral stances. This analyst configuration suggests that the professional research community views MCD's current valuation as fairly reflecting its fundamentals, with select analysts identifying potential upside from the stock's year-over-year decline of 9.58%.
