New York, February 14, 2026, 18:35 EST — The market has closed.
McDonald’s Corp ended Friday off 1.4% at $327.58, after touching an intraday peak near $335.5. Shares dipped as low as around $326.6, with volume reaching approximately 3.6 million shares.
The retreat comes just ahead of a holiday-shortened trading stretch in the U.S., where investors will sift through the latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes and a slate of U.S. economic data that could shift rate bets. S&P Global Market Intelligence points to the Fed minutes due Wednesday, plus the central bank’s preferred inflation measure—PCE data—along with fourth-quarter GDP numbers on tap later in the week. (S&P Global)
Fresh analyst commentary keeps rolling in. Argus’s John Staszak just bumped McDonald’s to Buy from Hold, slapping a $380 target on the stock. He sees the fast-food giant as “well positioned” to capture deal-seeking diners, highlighting its digital investments and upcoming menu drops. (TipRanks)
Several other shops tweaked their numbers after the quarter. Jefferies bumped its target up to $375 from $360, with Citi edging higher to $375 from $371. UBS made its move as well, setting $365 instead of $350. Guggenheim, for its part, stayed at Hold but clipped its target down to $320 from $325, Stock Analysis data show. (StockAnalysis)
McDonald’s saw global comparable sales rise 5.7% in the fourth quarter, with U.S. comps climbing 6.8%—those are sales figures from restaurants open at least 13 months. “McDonald’s value leadership is working,” Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski said in the company’s earnings statement. The fast-food giant bumped its quarterly dividend up 5% to $1.86 a share and delivered adjusted earnings per share of $3.12 on $7.01 billion in revenue. (McDonald’s Corporation)
Thursday saw the stock climb 2.74% to finish at $332.08, according to Investing.com. Then came Friday’s drop. (Investing.com)
Friday saw mixed moves among peers, with the main indexes hovering near flat. Starbucks slid 2.44%, Yum Brands gave up 1.66%. Chipotle Mexican Grill, on the other hand, climbed 1.28%, MarketWatch data showed. (MarketWatch)
The picture is murky. McDonald’s plans to wind down subsidies on certain value meals, contending with cost inflation and still targeting operating margins somewhere around the mid-to-high 40% range. The company has also flagged tough winter weather as a headwind that could hit performance early in 2026. (Reuters)
The real action next week is away from earnings and squarely in D.C. Investors eye the Fed minutes dropping Wednesday, Feb. 18. Then, Friday brings both the advanced GDP print and PCE inflation numbers—releases capable of jolting interest rate expectations and giving a lift to defensive consumer stocks like McDonald’s. (ig.com)
