McDonaldsMCDBUYMay 03, 2017Stock 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.
Sold his holdings, but still likes it and is hoping to get back in. The company needed to reinvent itself, and did that by providing a 24-hour a day McDonald’s. The new CEO has done some great things by refranchising stores with a focus on technology. Trading at around 23X PE, which is not expensive given the good things that are going on. A low beta stock, and you need some of those in a portfolio. In a bad market, these are the names that hold up. Dividend yield of 2.6%.