McDonaldsMCDDON'T BUYAug 01, 2013Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 05, 2026. Market Open.
Half its business is NA, half international. Not a huge amount of growth, perhaps 5-6%. EPS growth of 7-8%. Opens a few new stores a year. More of a landlord, with over 90% franchised. Very high ROIC.
Only 20x PE today, down from historically high 20s. In his world, it's a staple not discretionary :) Yield is 2.65%.
Was downgraded last Friday and today over fears they won't meet expectations this quarter, including disappointment over MCD's new chicken strips dish, that it won't turn things around. Rather, customer prefer heavily breaded chicken and the find these strips ugly. However, history says it has never paid to downgrade MCD. It's the king, offering good value and is highly well-run. The CEO will figure it out.
Great brand. Struggled a little bit on their same-store sales but their track record of investing capital is impressive. Have lots of things working for them. What doesn’t inspire her is the valuation on the shares. Because it is a sort of “steady Eddie” business, there has been a shift in investor confidence with people getting more comfortable with the market so they are being put into stocks that are considered safe, such as this one. She doesn’t see a lot of compelling upside.