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McDonald's Inc (NYSE:MCD) stock recently hit new 52-week lows, despite beating analyst estimates for revenue and earnings per share in the recently reported first quarter. The bad news for investors is there could be more pain ahead due to the increasing pain at the pump.

Rising gas prices could have consumers changing their summer vacation plans. On a shorter time scale, the rising cost of filling up at the gas pump could also lead consumers to change how often they eat out, including fast-food visits.

A new report from Placer.ai shows visits to quick-service restaurants were down in the months of March and April on a year-over-year basis. Here are the year-over-year visits data for 2026 for quick-service restaurants:

January: -0.9%

February: +3.0%

March: -1.5%

April: -1.8%

Also being hit are full-service restaurants, which saw a bigger decline of 4.8% in March and 1.6% decline in April.

In contrast, fast casual restaurants posted gains of 1.3% in March and 1.9% in April.

While this is only two months, it was a period that saw gas prices spike nationwide and could be indicative of trends moving forward.

These trends would hurt companies like McDonald's, Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) and Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR), while fast casual companies like Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) could see a lift in visitors.

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The decline in visits for the quick service restaurant segment could be an overall indication of the sector and not specific to McDonald's.

McDonald's has renewed its focus on value for its consumers, including launching new $3 menu options.

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski highlighted the company's value offerings during the recent earnings report.

"Our value leadership, breakthrough marketing, and menu innovation continue to serve up what customers want," Kempczinski said.

McDonald's stock traded at $275.70 on Wednesday versus a 52-week trading range of $271.98 to $341.75. McDonald's stock is down 9.1% year-to-date in 2026, with new 52-week highs hit earlier this week.

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Photo: Patcharaporn Puttipon4289 / Shutterstock

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This article McDonald's Stock Hits 52-Week Lows: High Gas Prices Could Make Things Worse originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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