The Best and Worst Dow Stocks

25. McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 67

Short Interest as of Apr 30, 2025: 1.61%

McDonald’s Corporation is an operator, owner, and franchisor of restaurants. It operates under the McDonald’s brand name. The company is treating its customers to a new item, the first permanent menu item addition in four years: the McCrispy Strips. These chicken tenders boast a black pepper flavor that has both franchisees and customers excited!

The company announced its quarterly earnings last week, though it didn’t feature the month of April, which has seen a notable improvement in sales. The promotion of the Minecraft movie drove more families to the restaurants, which further boosted numbers. Going ahead, sales improvement may not be that big a headache due to the comparison with lower sales last year.

The management confirmed in the Q1 earnings that the 2025 projections provided at the last earnings call in February remained intact. There could be a possible foreign exchange tailwind as well.

The stock has recovered well from the tariff-induced crash earlier in April and is now closing in on its 52-week highs as earnings approach. An earnings beat could send the stock higher as the outlook already looks promising enough for the restaurant chain.