McDonaldsMCDCOMMENTMay 19, 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.
This is up about 22% in the last 12 months, because they are trying to take advantage of technology to start to manage stores. Where they are now in bricks and mortar, they are going to get a huge amount of store growth. They are trying to maximize their ability to keep costs down. That is never the greatest idea to run a business. This is not expanding your revenues, it’s just keeping costs down.