McDonaldsMCDCOMMENTOct 07, 2014Stock 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.
This company has been having some problems in the US in terms of traffic growth. They also have exposure in Europe which has been hurting. Asia-Pacific and the Middle East collectively represents about 18%-20% of their earnings. Prefers Yum Brands (YUM-N) which has about 35% of their earnings from China.