McDonald’s shares closed Sept. 25 at $236.50, about 1% above their 52-week low, after falling roughly 21% in a year. They have spent longer and farther below the 200-week moving average than at any point since 2003.
McDonald’s second-quarter 2026 systemwide sales rose 5% to $37 billion. Loyalty sales grew more than 20% to $40 billion over the trailing 12 months, and nearly 220 million users were active on the loyalty program in the 90 days through quarter-end. TheStreet says a sustained break below the 200-week average, a long-term trendline watched by analysts, can signal a shift in the market’s view, though McDonald’s is not losing money.
TheStreet attributes customer losses partly to steep menu-price increases during 2022–24, saying lower-income diners shifted to cooking at home. McDonald’s is committing $8.5 billion over a decade to AI-powered drive-thru ordering, restaurant upgrades and franchisee cash-flow improvements; management said U.S. comparable sales would be slightly negative in Q3. The article also cites high interest rates as a potential drag on the value investors assign to McDonald’s real-estate portfolio.
