Q3 Earnings Estimate for McDonald’s Issued By Zacks Research

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for McDonald’s in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 5th. Zacks Research analyst H. Ray now forecasts that the fast-food giant will post earnings per share of $3.35 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $3.37. The consensus estimate for McDonald’s’ current full-year earnings is $11.73 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for McDonald’s’ Q2 2026 earnings at $3.44 EPS.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The fast-food giant reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83. McDonald’s had a net margin of 31.79% and a negative return on equity of 175.42%.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on MCD. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on McDonald’s from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on McDonald’s from $297.00 to $290.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $336.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonald’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.61.

McDonald’s Price Performance

MCD opened at $310.16 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $222.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $291.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $291.56. McDonald’s has a one year low of $243.53 and a one year high of $317.90.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MCD. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,236 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $938,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. First American Trust FSB boosted its holdings in McDonald’s by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. First American Trust FSB now owns 23,683 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $6,865,000 after purchasing an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. CA grew its position in McDonald’s by 108.4% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. CA now owns 971 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its stake in McDonald’s by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 1,838 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $534,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in McDonald’s by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,297,910 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $376,251,000 after buying an additional 75,540 shares in the last quarter. 70.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other McDonald’s news, EVP Desiree Ralls-Morrison sold 3,409 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.15, for a total transaction of $989,121.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,675 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,807,201.25. This represents a 26.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.50, for a total value of $321,457.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,286 shares in the company, valued at $2,716,155. This represents a 10.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 7,406 shares of company stock worth $2,150,857. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

McDonald’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. McDonald’s’s payout ratio is 62.16%.

About McDonald’s

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, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.