McDonald's stock holds ground as TD Cowen trims price target after EPS beat
Published on 09/12/2026 at 14:01 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
McDonald's Corporation stock (ISIN US5801351017) is changing hands at around USD 252.52 on the New York Stock Exchange as of September 12, 2026, leaving the fast-food giant in focus after TD Cowen lowered its price target but acknowledged a recent earnings beat.
TD Cowen trims target but keeps Hold rating
According to The Fly on September 11, 2026, TD Cowen lowered its 12 month price target on McDonald's stock to USD 282 from USD 300 while maintaining a Hold rating on the shares, cutting the target by USD 18 or 6.0 percent.
As a syndicated analysis reported on September 11, 2026, TD Cowen analyst Andrew M. Charles sees slightly reduced upside for the next year but still expects moderate appreciation, since the lowered target of USD 282 remains above the recent NYSE close of USD 253.05.
Consensus still points to upside after EPS beat
Despite the downward revision from TD Cowen, broader analyst expectations remain constructive. According to the same syndicated overview citing MarketBeat data on September 11, 2026, McDonald's currently carries a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of USD 321.35, which is USD 69.30 above the September 10, 2026 closing price of USD 253.05 and implies potential upside of about 27.4 percent if those estimates are met.
The analyst support is underpinned by solid recent fundamentals. As Intellectia noted on September 12, 2026, McDonald's reported second quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share of USD 3.38, beating market expectations, although weaker consumer traffic and slowing same-store sales growth have weighed on the shares.
The earnings surprise offers a concrete comparison point for investors: the adjusted EPS of USD 3.38 in Q2 2026 stands above typical analyst forecasts compiled ahead of the release, while the consensus full year 2026 EPS estimate is about USD 12.93 per share, based on average projections summarized by Yahoo Finance for the current year.
Stock trades near recent lows as valuation resets
In the market, the stock is trading close to the bottom of its recent range. Per Robinhood data for the September 12, 2026 trading session, McDonald's shares reached an intraday high of USD 254.99 and a low of USD 252.17, with a current price of USD 252.52, a market capitalization of about USD 178.69 billion and trading volume of 4.1 million shares against an average of 4.39 million.
The same Robinhood snapshot shows that at the current intraday price of USD 252.52, the share price is about 0.1 percent above the session low and roughly 1.0 percent below the high, illustrating a relatively tight trading range as the market digests the latest analyst moves.
From a valuation perspective, McDonald's trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of approximately 20.55 based on that snapshot and offers a dividend yield of about 2.90 percent, which some investors view as compensation for the recent share price stagnation following a period of underperformance relative to the S&P 500 index.
Risks: traffic trends and same-store sales
At the same time, the company faces operational challenges that could limit upside. The Intellectia summary of recent developments points to weak consumer traffic and slowing same-store sales growth as factors weighing on McDonald's shares, even though the company managed to beat expectations on adjusted EPS in Q2 2026.
Those trends add uncertainty to revenue and margin trajectories for the remainder of 2026, which is reflected in analyst models collated by Yahoo Finance that show average revenue estimates of around USD 28.21 billion for the full year 2026 and USD 29.67 billion for 2027, implying mid single-digit growth if the company can sustain its performance.
McDonald's stock price snapshot
For retail investors, the latest price data provide a concise gauge of market sentiment. McDonald's stock traded at about USD 252.52 on the New York Stock Exchange during the September 12, 2026 session, with the intraday range between USD 252.17 and USD 254.99 and a market capitalization of roughly USD 178.69 billion in USD terms, showing that the shares remain below the consensus analyst target but supported by a sizable global business and steady dividend stream.
McDonald's stock key data
- Company: McDonald's Corporation
- ISIN: US5801351017
- Ticker: MCD
- Trading venue: NYSE
- Price (as of September 12, 2026): 252.52 USD
- Market capitalization: 178.69 billion USD (as of September 12, 2026)
- Sector / Industry: Consumer Discretionary / Restaurants
- Index membership: S&P 500
