** McDonald's MCD.N second-quarter global comparable sales beat Wall Street estimates on Wednesday, as affordable meal bundles and promotions drew in budget-conscious diners looking to stretch their dollars amid economic uncertainty

** On average, stock is rated "buy" by 39 analysts; the median PT is $340 - data compiled by LSEG

GOLDEN ARCHES STILL BRIGHT

** J.P.Morgan ("overweight," PT: $310) says persistent double-digit traffic declines among lower-income U.S. consumers emphasize the need for McDonald's to re-establish price certainty on core menu items to win back that demographic.

** Morgan Stanley ("equal weight," PT: $326) says, given the challenges of the past year and a half, international markets were the standout performers, while the U.S. was steady and showed improvement over recent quarters, a positive sign in a tough quick-service restaurant $(QSR)$ environment

** BMO ("outperform," PT: $350) expects U.S. same-store sales to remain steady in the third quarter and accelerate in the fourth, noting McDonald's characterized early traction for Snack Wraps as encouraging and expressed confidence in the product's long-term durability

** Bernstein ("market perform," PT: $310) remains cautious on the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry, citing double-digit transaction declines among low-income consumers who continue to trade down to at-home eating, particularly for breakfast, despite the success of McDonald's McValue platform

(Reporting by Akriti Shah in Bengaluru)

((akriti.shah@thomsonreuters.com))