McDonald's stock slips as analysts split on new targets

Published on 09/16/2026 at 14:35 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

McDonald's stock closed at USD 252.78 on September 15, 2026, down 1.83 percent. BTIG kept a Buy call and a USD 350 target.

Modernes Fast-Food-Restaurant mit Self-Order-Kiosks an der Wand, lächelnde Gäste an weißen Tischen, Mitarbeiter an der Theke, warmes Ambientlicht, große Fensterfront zur Stadtstraße, kein Branding — McDonald's modernes Restaurant US5801351017 zeigt Self-Order-Kiosks mit freundlichen Gästen im hellen Innenraum, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

McDonald's stock (ISIN US5801351017) closed at USD 252.78 on September 15, 2026, after a drop of 1.83 percent from the prior close of USD 257.49. The move left the shares close to the 12-month low of USD 252.15 and far below the 12-month high of USD 341.75.

Analysts stay active

According to MarketBeat on September 16, 2026, BTIG Research reiterated its Buy rating and kept a USD 350 target price on McDonald's stock, implying 38.42 percent upside from the previous close. The same report put the consensus target price at USD 317.91 and listed the average rating as Moderate Buy.

According to TipRanks on September 15, 2026, Jefferies kept a Buy rating and set a USD 325 target price, while the same item said Deutsche Bank also stayed at Buy and Morgan Stanley moved to Hold. The split matters because it frames the stock around valuation, not just the recent pullback.

Quarterly numbers hold up

According to TipRanks, McDonald's reported revenue of USD 7.1 billion for the quarter ending June 30, 2026, alongside net profit of USD 2.36 billion. The same snippet said revenue rose from USD 6.84 billion and profit from USD 2.25 billion a year earlier, a year-over-year improvement of 3.8 percent in revenue and 4.9 percent in net profit.

According to MarketBeat on September 16, 2026, McDonald's reported earnings per share of USD 3.38 for the quarter ended August 4, 2026, above the consensus estimate of USD 3.32 by USD 0.06. The same source said quarterly revenue was USD 7.10 billion, also marking 3.7 percent year-over-year growth, and net margin was 31.72 percent.

Price and scale

McDonald's stock finished the last session at USD 252.78 on September 15, 2026, with volume of 4,788,906 shares and a market capitalization of USD 178.93 billion. The 52-week range of USD 252.15 to USD 341.75 shows the shares trading near the lower end of the band.