McDonaldsMCDBUY ON WEAKNESSNov 01, 2016Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 04, 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 had a great run up. He sold his holdings in June at around $123. Had felt the juice had been squeezed in the early part of their recovery. There is no question this company is on a better path than a year ago, but feels a lot of that has already been priced in. If there was some weakness such as a 10%-15% pullback, or a catalyst for another leg up and share price, he would be a buyer.