Shares of McDonald's rose Tuesday after the fast-food giant reported second-quarter earnings above expectations. The company also named a new president of its U.S. business.
McDonald's stock rose 1.2% to $268.47 on Tuesday after ending Monday down 2%. Wall Street was cautious ahead of the earnings report, expecting inflationary pressures to take its toll on consumer spending. Shares of McDonald's have declined 13% this year as of Monday's closing bell. The S&P 500 has gained 11% in 2026.
The fast-food giant posted adjusted earnings of $3.38 a share in the second quarter, up from $3.19 a year ago and above Wall Street's expectation for $3.32. Net revenue grew 3.7% to $7.1 billion, just missing the analyst consensus call for $7.13 billion, according to FactSet.
Global comparable sales gained 1.3%, while same-store sales in the U.S. increased 0.8%. Wall Street expected global comparable sales to grow 1.3%, according to FactSet. Global systemwide sales, a measure of sales across restaurants operated both by the company and franchisees, rose 4% on a constant-currency basis to $37 billion in the quarter.
The company struggled through much of 2024 and early 2025 as inflation-weary diners, especially lower-income households, cut back on restaurant spending. Many customers believed McDonald's had become too expensive relative to competitors.
But McDonald's has been working to correct course and it appears to be working.
"This quarter McDonald's delivered positive comparable sales growth across every segment and acted decisively to strengthen execution as we prime McDonald's for the next era of long-term growth," CEO Chris Kempczinski said in the earnings release.
The fast-food giant is also making moves to its executive suite.
McDonald's announced Tuesday the appointment of Skye Anderson, a 26-year veteran at the company, as president of McDonald's U.S.A.
Kempczinski said Anderson will bring "focus and urgency" to accelerating performance in the U.S. market.
Anderson succeeds Joe Erlinger, who decided to leave the company after more than two decades with McDonald's.