McDonaldsMCDTOP PICKJul 19, 2016Stock 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.
For the defensive investor. You get 2 themes here, the consumer and real estate. 1.) At the consumer level you have 20 states that have raised the minimum wage. 2.) This really is the biggest REIT globally. The franchisees pay rent on their properties. Dividend yield of 2.83%, and have grown it at about 8% over the last 5 years.