By Connor Hart

McDonald's is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results before the market opens Wednesday. Here is what you need to know.

EARNINGS: The burger giant is projected to post a profit of $2.17 billion, up slightly from $2.02 billion a year earlier. Stripping out certain one-time items, adjusted earnings are expected to be $3.05 a share, ahead of the $2.83 a share the company logged last year.

REVENUE: Quarterly revenue is forecast to climb 7% from last year, to about $6.84 billion.

SAME-STORE SALES: Global comparable sales, or those from stores and digital channels in operation for at least a year, are expected to rise 3.9%. That would be an uptick from a year ago, when the Chicago-based company posted same-store sales that were up 0.4%.

McDonald's shares have climbed 6.3% over the past three months and were recently trading hands at $326.44.

WHAT TO WATCH

--McDonald's has been working to restore its reputation for value and win back cost-conscious eaters after raising menu prices in recent years. So far, the company's moves to boost spending on value meals, new products and marketing have worked, with McDonald's posting higher third-quarter sales. Investors will be looking to see if the Golden Arches can once again grow its top line, as restaurants are facing a challenging year with fewer Americans eating out.

--UBS analysts say they aren't too worried about industry pressures hurting McDonald's 4Q results. They forecast solid results in the recent quarter, supported by strong U.S. same-store sales and continued international momentum, according to a research note. The company appears well positioned at the start of 2026, they add, citing strengthening value perceptions, menu innovation and marketing, and easy year-over-year comparison.

--McDonald's closed 2025 with strengthening visit momentum, with both overall and same-store traffic rebounding in the back half of the year, Placer.ai data shows. The location-analytics company says in a report that long-term investments into McDonald's' loyalty program seem to have helped boost traffic, as a growing share of overall visits now come from diners who frequent McDonald's an average of four or more times each month. "This dynamic points to a core benefit of loyalty-led growth: driving incremental visits from existing customers is typically far more efficient than acquiring new ones, especially in a mature, highly penetrated category like quick-service restaurants," the report reads.

Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 10, 2026 12:11 ET (17:11 GMT)

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