Services

What to Watch When McDonald's Reports Thursday Morning

Chris Lange

Published: July 25, 2018 1:40 pm

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 8:25 pm

McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) is scheduled to release its second-quarter earnings report before the markets open on Thursday. The consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters call for $1.92 in earnings per share (EPS) and $5.32 billion in revenue. The same period of last year reportedly had $1.70 in EPS and $6.05 billion in revenue.

This company does a ton of business overseas and still remains a solid pick for investors seeking dividends and a degree of safety. The fast-food giant is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer, with over 36,000 locations serving approximately 69 million customers in over 100 countries each day. More than 80% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business persons.

McDonald’s posted solid first-quarter results and shares took off, as menu price increases fueled the big earnings beat. Same-store sales in the United States grew 2.9%, in line with analyst expectations. Global same-store sales were also strong, rising 5.5% and topping estimates of 3.7%, as the number of customers coming through the door rose 0.8%.

Overall, McDonald’s stock has underperformed the broad markets, with shares down about 8% year to date. In the past 52 weeks, the stock is up only 4%.

A few analysts weighed in on McDonald’s prior to the release of the earnings report:

• Goldman Sachs has a Buy rating and a $178 price target.
• Stifel has a Neutral rating with a $168 price target.
• Jefferies has a Buy rating with a $200 target price.
• Cleveland Research has a Hold rating.
• Wells Fargo has an Outperform rating with a $180 target.
• Citigroup has a Neutral rating and a $178 price target.
• Nomura has a Buy rating with a $191 price target.

Shares of McDonald’s were last seen trading at $157.75, with a consensus analyst price target of $186.15 and a 52-week range of $146.84 to $178.70.