Restaurant giant McDonald’s Corp (NYSE:MCD) reported mixed second-quarter financial results Tuesday. An analyst sees the company putting an increased focus on U.S. sales and marketing.
The McDonald’s Analyst
KeyBanc analyst Christopher Carril maintained an Overweight rating on McDonald’s stock and lowered the price target from $315 to $305.
Analyst Takeaways
McDonald’s had no "major surprises" in the second-quarter results, Carril said in a new investor note.
The analyst said U.S. sales were soft in the second quarter, despite a big marketing push.
"With an action plan and new U.S. leadership in place, investors will be looking for signs of trend improvement from another soft start in the 3Q," Carril said.
Carril said U.S. comparable sales were in line with Street estimates, but trends are showing U.S. sales going negative in July.
McDonald’s is focused on execution and marketing going forward, the analyst noted, after those two areas were weaknesses in the quarter. The company said its new McValue platform and World Cup promotions did not perform as well as initially expected.
"Focus will remain on a potential inflection in trends. In the coming days and months, MCD’s plan is to focus on better execution around value," Carril added.
The analyst said investor attention could turn towards McDonald’s long-term strategy ahead of a September Investor Day.
"Long-term strategy coming into greater focus."
McDonald’s Stock Price Action
McDonald’s stock is up 2.4% to $274.67 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $260.96 to $341.75. McDonald’s stock is down 9.4% year-to-date in 2026.
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