McDonald's Profit Climbs Despite Continued Sluggish Domestic Sales

By Connor Hart

McDonald's reported higher profit and revenue in the latest quarter, as solid performance across much of its international business offset continually sluggish sales in the U.S.

The burger chain posted third-quarter net income of $2.49 billion, or $3.51 a share, compared with $2.28 billion, or $3.18 a share, in the year-earlier period.

Stripping out one-time items, earnings were $3.57 a share. Analysts polled by FactSet anticipated adjusted earnings of $3.38 a share.

Total revenue ticked up 1.1% to $7.16 billion but fell shy of Wall Street estimates for $7.28 billion.

Global same-store sales rose 1.5% in the three months ended Sept. 30, topping analyst expectations for a 1.3% gain. In the U.S., comparable sales fell 0.2%, hurt by weaker traffic trends that were largely offset by check growth, McDonald's said.

Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski said McDonald's delivered another quarter of global growth, led by solid performance across much of its international business. Trends began to improve in the U.S. during the recent period, he added, following the chain's increased focus on value.

McDonald's has been working to win back inflation-weary customers--especially lower-income consumers, who have reined in spending over the past few years. The company has rolled out a series of deals and introduced new items such as dirty sodas and other high-margin beverages.

The company in June introduced a new global business strategy, leaning on menu upgrades, improved customer service and new store prototypes in a bid to drive sales. The company also named a new president of its U.S. business.

More recently, McDonald's in September laid out a plan to spend around $8.5 billion to help its franchisees make investments in equipment and their operations to better compete with fast-food rivals. The company needs to capture more market share in order to increase sales, executives previously said, as customer-traffic growth in its major markets is expected to be flat in the coming years.

The McDonald's report comes after rival Burger King last week said its U.S. turnaround was gaining traction. The chain--which just wrestled back the No. 2 spot for U.S. burger chain sales from Wendy's--said U.S. same-store sales grew 8.4% in the third quarter.

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

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 04, 2026 07:16 ET (12:16 GMT)