McDonald's Corporation (MCD) Stock Analysis
Latest ClaritX AI analysis ·
McDonald's Corporation operates and licenses its renowned fast-food chain worldwide, with a significant presence in both the United States and international markets. Their comprehensive menu offers classic items like hamburgers and cheeseburgers, a variety of chicken options including sandwiches and nuggets, alongside lighter choices such as wraps, french fries, and salads. For breakfast, patrons can select from offerings like biscuit and bagel sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and hotcakes. Additionally, the company provides oatmeal, an assortment of desserts including milkshakes, sundaes, and soft-serve ice cream, plus a selection of baked goods. A wide array of soft drinks, coffee, and othe
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | $231.89 |
| Market cap | $164.8B |
| Sector | Consumer Cyclical |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| ClaritX AI score | 73/100 |
| Price/Book | -161.10 |
| Dividend yield | 3.21% |
| Beta | 0.41 |
AI verdict
McDonald's Corporation (MCD) currently presents an exceptionally rare, highly asymmetric value proposition for defensive capital allocators. Trading at $231.89, the equity is resting precariously near its 52-week low of $229.61. Crucially, the stock's current distance from its 52-week high of $341.75 represents a massive 32.15% structural drawdown. For an ultra-defensive, globally entrenched blue-chip asset characterized by a remarkably low beta of just 0.414, a peak-to-trough contraction of this magnitude is a profound statistical anomaly indicative of institutional panic. It is critical to recognize that while a stock trading at its 52-week high on euphoric sentiment carries severe multiple-compression risk, a heavily beaten-down asset with flawlessly intact fundamentals provides a massive margin of safety. Fundamentally, the corporate architecture remains an absolute fortress. The company continues to produce an elite 31.72% net profit margin and generates $10.92 in free cash flow per share, effortlessly supporting its highly attractive 3.21% dividend yield, which was just increased for the 50th consecutive year to secure "Dividend King" status. While a collapsed RSI of 11.45 highlights severe technical damage, the underlying franchise royalty model is completely uncompromised. With an average analyst price target of $285.00 implying roughly 23% upside, McDonald's offers deep-value investors a highly insulated opportunity to acquire a legendary compounder at a generationa
What this score has been worth
ClaritX scores MCD 73 out of 100 (snapshot 2026-10-05).
Every ClaritX analysis is scored first and judged only on what the stock did afterwards. Across the 293 analyses that scored in the 70-79 band, the average forward return was +0.8% with a 49% win rate, -4.1pp against the S&P 500. That is a measured tendency across many names, not a forecast for MCD — roughly 51% of stocks in this band still lost money.
The full band-by-band table, including the bands that lost, is on the AI Rank Report; the live strategy arms behind it are on the AI Track Record, losses published.