McDonalds (MCD)

The numbers going to fast food restaurants is going down. All the McDonald’s are being automated. By taking people out, their labour costs are going down. It has probably had too much of a run for him and not enough dividend. He wouldn’t invest in this, but wouldn’t discourage people who want to. Dividend yield of 3.1%.

They’ve decided breakfast works, so they are going to make all day breakfasts. He is wondering why the market is rewarding them so fully for that. It is not a cheap valuation, so he would pass on this, until they come up with something that brings in more people.

The fast food restaurant industry is very competitive. This stock has been struggling lately, which was partly on changing tastes in the US, and on diminishing returns. These companies sometimes get growth on product cycles, and they got them for a while on global expansion, but this is a very mature fast food company that exists globally now. They might have a few more places to expand, but fundamentally their business growth should be tied generally to the economic growth where they exist.

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.

Very intriguing about 1.5 years ago when the stock was $90 a share. It has had a great rally. Have done a lot of cost cutting, brought in a healthier product line, and brought in the All-Day breakfast. That is now priced into the stock, and now we are back into just same-store sales. The stock is fairly valued right now. It is a dividend grower which he likes. He would like to see a little more visibility on what is ahead on new menu options, etc. He owns a small amount.

(A Top Pick Sept 17/15. Up 22.92%.) Sold his holdings. Still likes the name, but when you make that kind of money in a year, you take a hard look to see if the growth or the future upside is nearly as compelling. He went into another food retailer. Still a safe name to hold, but not a lot of upside in the near term.

The underlying stock has a pretty good earnings growth profile and it gives you a reasonable dividend. It is certainly positioned internationally.

Everyone can own it. It is a great company. It has always produced consistent return on invested capital. It is very good and very sustainable. When the return on capital is rising you want to be in it and when it is dropping you want to get out. It is just starting to turn over, so wait for a better time to buy it.

Largest restaurant chain in the world by sales. It has repositioned itself in the last year or so, so the stock has done well. You get a nice dividend and PE of 20 times earnings. They offer all day breakfast which is a home run for the stock. He likes it.

Had a great run for the last year or so when the new CEO came in and turned things around. The all-day breakfast has been a phenomenal hit for them. Now that it is trading in the low 20s multiple, the question is how much can it really keep growing and how much of margin expansion opportunities are there for them in their core market of the US. The question is, what is their next trick?

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.

They have a new CEO and are doing great things. Changing menu items, value items, all Day breakfast, revamping stores, etc. A little rich on the earnings valuation at 22X. Same-store sales are close to 6%. Dividend yield of 2.91%.

A great company and a leading innovator. As a company, he really likes it, however it is just way too expensive. Trading at about 22X. 2.9% dividend yield. You aren’t going to get hurt holding this.

He likes that they have taken the bull by the horns and understood that they have been an underperforming asset. In the short term, that has had some benefits. The All Day breakfast has been a huge hit, but deep down he has his doubts if this is going to carry the company to a new and exciting future. Also, the valuation is not cheap.

This went through a few difficult years. A great company and you get 5%-10% dividend growth going forward. They have repositioned the business since the beginning of 2015. Streamlined the menu and introduced all day breakfast. You will probably see low single digit revenue growth and close to double digit dividend growth. Dividend yield of 2.9%.