Michael SmedleyDunkin' Brands GroupDNKNPAST TOP PICKMar 20, 2013

They have been a fairly attractive, low price provider of ‘junk’ food. There has been a shift in North America toward more healthy eating and they have not gone that way so he would stay away from it. He sees value in SBUX-Q, with 21k stores in 66 countries with a brand as strong as ever.

Tim Hortons (THI-T) or Dunkin’ Brands (DNKN-Q)? This chart shows a lot more stability, but, like Tim Hortons, there is a little bit of pause and usually these pauses get corrected to the upside. If it broke below around $44.50, that would indicate something is wrong. The next support would be around $42. You may want to hedge your bet by taking a half position in both.

Likes the company. An impressive business. Has a great market position in the US, similar to what a Tim Hortons (THI-T) might have in Canada. They also own the Baskin-Robbins brand, which has great global growth. Pretty fully valued.

They were spun out from a private equity firm and so there is quite a bit of debt on their balance sheet. Have done a good job of generating a return through expansion in the mid-west. Prefers THI-T in Canada for the same play.