NYSE · MCD
Consumer Cyclical · Restaurants
$232.45
Down-$1.57 (-0.68%)
Updated Oct 7, 2026, 10:01 PM
SID Score
5.4/10
Composite research score
Smart Money
55/100
Neutral
Price performance · MCD
1M range · 21 trading sessions · Daily adjusted prices
Prices through Oct 6, 2026
MCD closed at $232.45 after 21 trading sessions, down 9.13% for the selected period.
| Date | Open | High | Low | Close | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2026 | $233.345 | $234.30 | $231.70 | $232.45 | 5.64M |
| Oct 5, 2026 | $231.90 | $233.08 | $229.20 | $233.04 | 5.6M |
| Oct 2, 2026 | $232.70 | $233.00 | $230.825 | $231.89 | 6.43M |
| Oct 1, 2026 | $231.54 | $232.84 | $229.61 | $231.83 | 5.94M |
| Sep 30, 2026 | $234.23 | $234.97 | $230.88 | $230.94 | 5.58M |
| Sep 29, 2026 | $232.20 | $236.01 | $232.06 | $233.98 | 5.25M |
| Sep 28, 2026 | $235.735 | $237.48 | $233.23 | $233.60 | 5.37M |
| Sep 25, 2026 | $236.78 | $238.00 | $235.29 | $236.50 | 6.54M |
| Sep 24, 2026 | $239.70 | $242.56 | $237.02 | $237.02 | 7.39M |
| Sep 23, 2026 | $250.29 | $250.32 | $234.03 | $238.32 | 16.61M |
| Sep 22, 2026 | $250.68 | $252.06 | $249.37 | $250.35 | 5.02M |
| Sep 21, 2026 | $249.41 | $250.38 | $246.5209 | $247.88 | 6.33M |
| Sep 18, 2026 | $248.27 | $250.4499 | $247.65 | $248.24 | 9.58M |
| Sep 17, 2026 | $250.30 | $250.5995 | $248.10 | $248.48 | 4.95M |
| Sep 16, 2026 | $252.26 | $253.16 | $247.83 | $248.56 | 7.13M |
| Sep 15, 2026 | $257.78 | $257.78 | $252.70 | $252.78 | 4.79M |
| Sep 14, 2026 | $254.28 | $258.45 | $254.28 | $257.49 | 4.17M |
| Sep 11, 2026 | $253.98 | $254.73 | $252.15 | $252.53 | 4.1M |
| Sep 10, 2026 | $255.04 | $255.56 | $252.54 | $253.05 | 4.35M |
| Sep 9, 2026 | $255.50 | $256.50 | $253.3458 | $253.48 | 4.44M |
| Sep 8, 2026 | $254.39 | $256.805 | $254.28 | $255.81 | 4.21M |
The latest Smart Investors Daily articles mentioning MCD.
Company
Market Activity
Research & News
MCD research
Company profile and research snapshot.
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 websiteConsensus and target data currently published for this company.
| Date | Firm | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6, 2026 | Keybanc | Overweight | — |
| Oct 5, 2026 | Wells Fargo | Overweight | — |
| Oct 5, 2026 | Guggenheim | Neutral | — |
| Sep 29, 2026 | JP Morgan | Overweight | — |
| Sep 29, 2026 | Jefferies | Overweight | — |
Generated Oct 7, 2026, 7:05 PM
McDonald's shares declined 0.42% today as the company faces mounting legal and operational headwinds that overshadow any positive developments. A major antitrust lawsuit over the company's AI-powered pricing tool for franchisees, combined with pushback over costly store upgrades and analyst forecast cuts, is creating near-term pressure on the stock.
Bottom line: McDonald's is navigating a challenging period marked by legal risk from its AI pricing tool, operational friction with franchisees over upgrade costs, and analyst forecast reductions that have pushed the stock near 52-week lows. Investors should monitor the antitrust litigation closely and watch for signs of franchise system stress, while waiting for clarity on how management will address these interconnected headwinds before taking a constructive stance on the shares.
Yahoo · Oct 7, 2026
CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. has named Alisa Gmelich President of Hardee’s, effective immediately. She reports to Chief Executive Officer Joe Guith and leads a system of more than 1,400 restaurants in 31 states, with a mandate to reignite growth, elevate the guest experience and strengthen franchisee alignment. Gmelich most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer […]
Yahoo · Oct 7, 2026
CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. has named Alisa Gmelich President of Hardee’s, effective immediately. She reports to Chief Executive Officer Joe Guith and leads a system of more than 1,400 restaurants in 31 states, with a mandate to reignite growth, elevate the guest experience and strengthen franchisee alignment. Gmelich most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer […]
Yahoo · Oct 7, 2026
McDonald's Corp (NYSE:MCD, XETRA:MDO) is facing a federal lawsuit alleging its artificial intelligence (AI) pricing tool illegally coordinates prices among franchisees and has raised menu costs for customers. The proposed nationwide class action was filed Friday in Illinois by Michael Thomas,...
Yahoo · Oct 7, 2026
McDonald's has crashed and come back stronger twice before. Here's what's different and the same about its current slump.
Interpretive context generated from the platform’s current data sources.
McDonald's Corporation shares have experienced significant downward pressure across multiple timeframes. Per SID market data, MCD closed at $232.45, reflecting a single-day decline of approximately 2.26%. Over the trailing one-month period, the stock has dropped $10.24, while the three-month decline stands at $17.42 and the one-year loss registers at $26.30. The stock is trading well below key moving averages, with the 50-day moving average at $258.61 and the 200-day moving average at $292.16, indicating sustained bearish momentum. According to Massive/Polygon technical data, the 14-day relative strength index has fallen to 16.7, placing MCD deep in oversold territory — well below the conventional 30 threshold. The stock carries a beta of 0.521, historically exhibiting lower volatility than the broader market. Average daily trading volume stands at approximately 3.13 million shares, with the current market capitalization at roughly $221.3 billion.
McDonald's Corporation currently trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.37, per SID market data, positioning the fast-food giant at a premium relative to the broader Consumer Cyclical sector. The PEG ratio stands at 8.83, according to SEC filings and derived financial metrics, suggesting the current earnings multiple is elevated relative to the company's projected growth rate. McDonald's offers a dividend yield of approximately 2.31%, providing income-oriented investors a notable return amid the stock's recent price declines. Notably, the price-to-book ratio registers at negative 80.18, a figure attributable to McDonald's negative shareholders' equity — a structural feature resulting from the company's aggressive share repurchase programs and significant long-term debt obligations rather than operational distress. This negative book value is common among capital-return-intensive franchisors. Investors evaluating MCD's valuation should contextualize these metrics against the company's franchise-heavy business model, which generates substantial free cash flow despite the balance sheet structure.
McDonald's Corporation registers a composite smart money score of 55 out of 100, reflecting a neutral overall signal according to SID market data. The institutional component scores a perfect 25 out of 25, indicating robust and sustained interest from large asset managers in their 13F institutional filings. The insider trading component scores 16.6 out of 25, supported by eight insider transactions recorded over the past 90 days per SEC Form 4 filings — five of which were purchases and three were sales. This buy-to-sell ratio suggests insiders have demonstrated net accumulative behavior during the stock's recent decline. The dark pool activity component registers at 8.5 out of 25, indicating relatively subdued off-exchange institutional trading volumes. Congressional trading activity scores 4.8 out of 25, reflecting minimal disclosed legislative trading interest in MCD shares. The divergence between the maximum institutional score and the lower dark pool reading suggests that large holders are maintaining positions but not aggressively adding through alternative venues during the current sell-off period.
McDonald's Corporation faces a series of upcoming earnings reports with analyst consensus estimates reflecting steady expectations, according to compiled analyst estimates. The nearest scheduled report on August 5, 2026, carries a consensus earnings estimate of $3.34 per share. The subsequent reports dated August 10 and August 14, 2026, also carry identical estimates of $3.34 per share, suggesting analysts anticipate stable sequential performance through the summer reporting period. The November 4, 2026 report carries a modestly higher consensus estimate of $3.38 per share, indicating expectations of slight seasonal strength. No actual results have been reported yet for these periods, leaving forward visibility dependent entirely on consensus projections. At the current stock price of $232.45, these estimates imply an annualized forward earnings trajectory of approximately $13.40 per share. Company earnings reports from prior periods will provide essential context for evaluating whether McDonald's can sustain these projected levels amid macroeconomic headwinds.
Wall Street analyst sentiment on McDonald's Corporation remains predominantly constructive despite the stock's sustained price declines. According to SID consensus data, four out of five recent analyst actions carry Overweight ratings. On October 6, 2026, Keybanc reiterated its Overweight rating, following similar reaffirmations from Wells Fargo on October 5 and both JP Morgan and Jefferies on September 29, per Wall Street analyst reports. Guggenheim maintained its Neutral rating on October 5, representing the sole non-bullish stance among recent coverage updates. Notably, none of the five analysts changed their prior ratings, indicating conviction in their existing theses despite MCD trading at $232.45 — significantly below its 200-day moving average of $292.16. The absence of any downgrades amid a 26.30-point year-over-year decline suggests that the analyst community views the sell-off as disconnected from underlying fundamentals. No analyst initiated new coverage or issued a bearish rating during this review period.
The latest Smart Investors Daily articles mentioning MCD.
