Stocks / MCD
What If You Had Invested in McDonald's 10 Years Ago?
McDonald's Corporation (MCD) with real monthly prices, dividends reinvested, through November 2026.
MCD $278.04 ▼ -0.78% last close, Nov 05, 2026
If you had invested $1,000 in MCD in November 2016, today it would be worth
$2,941
Same $1,000 in the S&P 500 (SPY): $3,895
If you had put $500 a month into MCD since November 2016, your $60,500 would be worth today
$87,901
Same plan in the S&P 500 (SPY): $128,888
More options in the What If calculator.
MCD live price chart
MCD returns by period
| Period | Total return | Per year | $1,000 became | SPY per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 01, 2026 | $1.8600 | +0.0% | ||
| Jun 02, 2026 | $1.8600 | +0.0% | ||
| Mar 03, 2026 | $1.8600 | +0.0% | ||
| Dec 01, 2025 | $1.8600 | +5.1% | ||
| Sep 02, 2025 | $1.7700 | +0.0% | ||
| Jun 02, 2025 | $1.7700 | +0.0% | ||
| Mar 03, 2025 | $1.7700 | +0.0% | ||
| Dec 02, 2024 | $1.7700 | +6.0% | ||
| Sep 03, 2024 | $1.6700 | +0.0% | ||
| Jun 03, 2024 | $1.6700 | +0.0% | ||
| Feb 29, 2024 | $1.6700 | +0.0% | ||
| Nov 30, 2023 | $1.6700 | — |
MCD year by year
Best full year: 1998 (+61.8%). Worst: 2002 (-38.4%).
| Year | MCD | SPY | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | -7.2% | +8.3% | |
| 2025 | +7.9% | +17.7% | |
| 2024 | +0.1% | +24.9% | |
| 2023 | +15.1% | +26.2% | |
| 2022 | +0.5% | -18.2% | |
| 2021 | +27.8% | +28.7% | |
| 2020 | +11.3% | +18.3% | Dining rooms closed in lockdowns, but drive-through sales helped the stock finish the year higher. |
| 2019 | +14.0% | +31.2% | |
| 2018 | +5.8% | -4.6% | |
| 2017 | +45.1% | +21.7% | |
| 2016 | +6.2% | +12.0% | |
| 2015 | +30.4% | +1.2% | |
| 2014 | -0.1% | +13.5% | |
| 2013 | +13.6% | +32.3% | |
| 2012 | -9.3% | +16.0% | |
| 2011 | +34.7% | +1.9% | |
| 2010 | +26.9% | +15.1% | |
| 2009 | +4.0% | +26.4% | |
| 2008 | +8.6% | -36.8% | McDonald's stock rose during the financial crisis while the market fell sharply. |
| 2007 | +36.4% | +5.1% |
MCD: all at once or every month?
Take $12,000: all of it on day one, or $1,000 a month for a year. Across every starting month since 1985 (491 of them), the lump sum was ahead after 12 months in 367 (75%). The lump sum usually won, but roughly one start in 4 favored spreading it out. The best case for monthly investing was a start in May 2002, when it finished the year 61% ahead.
Worst drop
MCD's worst fall in this history was -69.4%, a loss of more than half, from November 1999 to February 2003. Getting back to the old high took until November 2006: 45 months from the bottom and 7.0 years from the peak. $1,000 invested at that peak shrank to about $306 at the low.
McDonald's dividends
MCD paid $7.44 per share over the last 12 months, quarterly. At $278.04 that is 2.68%, a moderate yield. From 2020 to 2025 the yearly payout grew +7.3% a year, steadily. The yearly total did not fall once in the last ten years. Amounts are adjusted for splits.
| Year | Dividends / share | Change | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7.17 | +5.8% | 2.35% |
| 2024 | $6.78 | +8.8% | 2.34% |
| 2023 | $6.23 | +10.1% | 2.10% |
| 2022 | $5.66 | +7.8% | 2.15% |
| 2021 | $5.25 | +4.2% | 1.96% |
| 2020 | $5.04 | +6.6% | 2.35% |
| 2019 | $4.73 | +12.9% | 2.39% |
| 2018 | $4.19 | +9.4% | 2.36% |
| 2017 | $3.83 | +6.1% | 2.23% |
| 2016 | $3.61 | +4.9% | 2.97% |
Yield = each year’s dividends divided by the price at the end of the year.
MCD dividend history: last 12 payments
| Ex-dividend date | Amount | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 01, 2026 | $1.8600 | +0.0% |
| Jun 02, 2026 | $1.8600 | +0.0% |
| Mar 03, 2026 | $1.8600 | +0.0% |
| Dec 01, 2025 | $1.8600 | +5.1% |
| Sep 02, 2025 | $1.7700 | +0.0% |
| Jun 02, 2025 | $1.7700 | +0.0% |
| Mar 03, 2025 | $1.7700 | +0.0% |
| Dec 02, 2024 | $1.7700 | +6.0% |
| Sep 03, 2024 | $1.6700 | +0.0% |
| Jun 03, 2024 | $1.6700 | +0.0% |
| Feb 29, 2024 | $1.6700 | +0.0% |
| Nov 30, 2023 | $1.6700 | — |
Stock splits
- June 1971: 1.5-for-1
- June 1972: 2-for-1
- October 1982: 1.5-for-1
- September 1984: 1.5-for-1
- June 1986: 1.5-for-1
- June 1987: 1.5-for-1
- June 1989: 2-for-1
- June 1994: 2-for-1
- March 1999: 2-for-1
One share bought before 1971 is 121.5 shares today.
About McDonald's
| Company | McDonald's Corporation |
| Listed | 1965 (NYSE since 1966) |
| Sector | Consumer discretionary (restaurants) |
| Dividend | Raised every year since 1976 |
McDonald's has about 40,000 restaurants, but most are run by franchisees. The company earns much of its money as a landlord, collecting rent and royalties, which makes its profits steadier than a typical restaurant's.
McDonald's has raised its dividend every year since it started paying in 1976. Its stock tends to hold up in recessions, as customers trade down to cheaper meals.
Questions about MCD
How much would $10,000 invested in MCD 20 years ago be worth today?
About $114,286 with dividends reinvested, invested at the November 2006 close: 1042.9% in total, or 13.0% a year.
When does MCD pay dividends?
In the last 12 months the payments went out in March, June, September and December, $7.44 per share in total.
Did MCD beat the S&P 500?
Yes. Over the last 20 years it was ahead by 2.3 percentage points a year: +13.0% a year for MCD against +10.6% for SPY, dividends reinvested. It also fell harder at its worst (-69.4% against -50.8% for SPY over the same history).