Mindset for Money
CPA, Financial Analyst, Former Big Four Auditor
McDonald's is compelling because its business is so consistent: it keeps franchising more locations without any change in returns on each new one. It trades at 18x forward earnings, its cheapest valuation of the last decade, versus 15x at peak bearish sentiment after the 2008 crash. Today's growth is basically inflationary, but it is surprisingly good relative to its weak 2010s history. x.com x.comÂ
McDonald's looks attractive in one of its largest drawdowns ever, with its highest dividend yield in 11 years and its lowest P/E in six years. It was appealing at $247 and is a stock to commit to at $239. x.com x.comÂ
Wendy's carries considerable execution risk despite trading at just 7x price to free cash flow versus a historical norm of about 21x, because free cash flow is forecast to fall 22% this year and 15% in 2027 before a potential rebound. McDonald's is the preferred choice. x.comÂ
McDonald's remains a little too rich at 20x earnings for mid-single-digit growth, even though it is one of the best businesses ever created and will probably be around in 100 years. That holds despite its second-worst drawdown in 20 years, down 23.6% from its highs, per Fiscal.ai. x.comÂ
McDonald's is getting more interesting for dividend investors: its dividend has compounded about 14% a year for 26 years since 2000. x.comÂ
McDonald's franchise model lets it collect twice on every sale while franchisees supply the capital, pay workers and manage food costs. Franchisees pay an initial fee, rent with a sales-based component and sales-based royalties, which brought $16.55B of franchised revenue last year. McDonald's is essentially the toll booth on the highway to fast-food profits. x.comÂ
McDonald's is likely to see its metrics hurt over the next year by the rising cost of supporting struggling franchisees. Its rent and royalties hide franchisee pain: US same-store sales rose about 35% while prices rose about 40%, so traffic is likely shrinking, and sales growth slowed to 0.8% in Q2. Per their association, 95% of owners said Q1 profit fell. With remodels costing $400K-$700K per restaurant, McDonald's agreed to take on $8.5B through 2036 in lower rent and capex support. x.comÂ
McDonald's business isn't stressed even though its chart is. The stock sits below its 200-week EMA, with momentum starting to turn bullish. x.comÂ
Cash generation and market values have diverged for these twelve beaten-down stocks. Over the long term, valuations tend to follow the cash businesses produce; the charts compare quarterly free cash flow with market capitalization for Uber, Netflix, Intuit, Adobe, PayPal, McDonald's, Snap, Duolingo, Chewy, Pinterest, Reddit and e.l.f. Beauty. x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
McDonald's faces GLP-1 drugs, runaway inflation, shifting Gen Z preferences and terrible management execution, leaving it in its worst drawdown in 20 years outside of COVID. x.comÂ
McDonald's is basically a REIT, so dips like this are good buying opportunities for a long-term portfolio. The stock is 24% below the all-time high it set just a few months ago and trades near a two-year low. x.comÂ