Wedbush Weighs in on McDonald’s Co.’s Q1 2025 Earnings (NYSE:MCD)

McDonald’s Co. (NYSE:MCD) – Stock analysts at Wedbush decreased their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for McDonald’s in a report released on Wednesday, May 1st. Wedbush analyst N. Setyan now forecasts that the fast-food giant will post earnings per share of $2.91 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.97. Wedbush has a “Outperform” rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for McDonald’s’ current full-year earnings is $12.18 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for McDonald’s’ Q3 2025 earnings at $3.57 EPS.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The fast-food giant reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by ($0.01). McDonald’s had a negative return on equity of 180.54% and a net margin of 33.36%. The company had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.63 earnings per share. McDonald’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $312.00 to $297.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of McDonald’s from $335.00 to $330.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of McDonald’s in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.74.

McDonald’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCD opened at $266.99 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.71. McDonald’s has a 52 week low of $245.73 and a 52 week high of $302.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $278.43 and a 200-day moving average of $282.90.

Institutional Trading of McDonald’s

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ironwood Wealth Management LLC. now owns 3,912 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,031,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McDonald’s in the third quarter valued at $166,000. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of McDonald’s by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC now owns 1,514 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $399,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in McDonald’s by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,352 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $1,673,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WESPAC Advisors LLC bought a new position in McDonald’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $224,000. Institutional investors own 70.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at McDonald’s

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total transaction of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 16,977 shares in the company, valued at $4,696,517.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $276.64, for a total value of $303,750.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,977 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,696,517.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of McDonald’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 18,075 shares in the company, valued at $5,140,168.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

McDonald’s Company Profile

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.