McDonaldsMCDCOMMENTAug 10, 2017Stock 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.
She missed the boat on this. A few years ago, you had Panera, Chipotle, etc. and nobody wanted to eat junk food anymore. Then there was a big consumer shift. McDonald’s really struggled with their same-store sales. They brought on a new CEO and redid the menu, had healthier options, fancy brands and had promotions on drinks. Now they are back in business. They’ve been putting in good growth numbers in the US.