Investor Sentiment: Many investors are becoming cautious about the sustainability of high equity market returns, with concerns about potential selloffs as stock gains have been unusually high in recent years.
Berkshire Hathaway's Strategy: Berkshire Hathaway, led by Warren Buffett, continues to focus on value investments, recently investing in Alphabet and preparing for a leadership transition to Greg Abel.
Consumer Trends in Fast Food: McDonald's is benefiting from lower-income consumers opting for affordable dining options, which may lead to strong earnings despite economic challenges.
Johnson & Johnson's Growth Potential: After spinning off its consumer products division, Johnson & Johnson's stock has surged, and analysts believe it has further growth potential due to its strong healthcare portfolio and reasonable valuation.
Wall Street analysts forecast MCD stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for MCD is 337.63 USD with a low forecast of 300.00 USD and a high forecast of 375.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
23 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast MCD stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for MCD is 337.63 USD with a low forecast of 300.00 USD and a high forecast of 375.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
12 Buy
11 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 306.030
Low
300.00
Averages
337.63
High
375.00
Current: 306.030
Low
300.00
Averages
337.63
High
375.00
KeyBanc
Eric Gonzalez
Overweight
maintain
$335 -> $340
2026-01-09
Reason
KeyBanc
Eric Gonzalez
Price Target
$335 -> $340
AI Analysis
2026-01-09
maintain
Overweight
Reason
KeyBanc analyst Eric Gonzalez raised the firm's price target on McDonald's to $340 from $335 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm believes Q4 2025 was a strong period for McDonald's U.S. as it executed its value strategy and leaned on its marketing capabilities to drive outperformance during an otherwise choppy period for the industry. Based on its proprietary data/recent industry conversations, KeyBanc believes McDonald's U.S. likely generated above consensus same-store sales growth. In addition, the firm thinks Extra Value Meal subsidies are proving to be lower than expected, which may represent EPS upside.
Truist
Jake Bartlett
Buy
maintain
$350 -> $356
2026-01-08
Reason
Truist
Jake Bartlett
Price Target
$350 -> $356
2026-01-08
maintain
Buy
Reason
Truist analyst Jake Bartlett raised the firm's price target on McDonald's to $356 from $350 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. After a challenging year for restaurants, the outlook for 2026 is mixed, with temporary tailwinds from tax refunds and favorable weather but ongoing headwinds from slowing job growth, consumer confidence, and commodity inflation, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for MCD
Unlock Now
Barclays
Jeffrey Bernstein
Overweight
maintain
$358 -> $372
2026-01-07
Reason
Barclays
Jeffrey Bernstein
Price Target
$358 -> $372
2026-01-07
maintain
Overweight
Reason
Barclays analyst Jeffrey Bernstein raised the firm's price target on McDonald's to $372 from $358 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm adjusted targets in the restaurant group as part of its 2026 outlook. Sales challenges persist for the sector, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Barclays expects quick service to regain share from fast casual and casual dining, and it remains bullish on foodservice distribution.
Oppenheimer
Brian Bittner
Perform -> Outperform
upgrade
$355
2026-01-06
Reason
Oppenheimer
Brian Bittner
Price Target
$355
2026-01-06
upgrade
Perform -> Outperform
Reason
Oppenheimer analyst Brian Bittner upgraded McDonald's to Outperform from Perform with a $355 price target.
About MCD
McDonald's Corporation is a global foodservice retailer. Its segment includes U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets & Corporate. The U.S. segment is its largest market and is 95% franchised. The International Operated Markets segment is comprised of markets, or countries in which it operates and franchises restaurants, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. This segment is 89% franchised. The International Developmental Licensed Markets & Corporate segment is comprised of developmental licensee and affiliate markets, including equity method investments in China and Japan. This segment is 99% franchised. Its menu features hamburgers and cheeseburgers, the Big Mac, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, the Filet-O-Fish, and several chicken sandwiches, such as the McChicken and McCrispy as well as Chicken McNuggets, Fries, shakes, sundaes, cookies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
