McDonald's
MCDMarket price data through November 12, 2026.
Performance
Nov 2021 – Nov 2026
Track record
How this pick has done since Benson first called it.
- Benson Return
- -10%
- How much this stock is up since Benson first picked it — measured from the price at the time of that first pick, not from today.
- First pick price
- ~$303
- Roughly what one share cost when Benson first picked this stock. This is the starting line for the Benson Return.
- Tracking since
- August 2025
- The month this stock first became a Benson pick.
- Tracking duration
- 15 months
- How long Benson has been tracking this pick.
About McDonald's
McDonald's is the world's biggest restaurant company, with more than 45,000 locations in over 100 countries. But here's the secret: it's really a real estate empire that happens to sell burgers. About 95% of its restaurants are run by independent owners who pay McDonald's rent plus a cut of every sale, so the company collects steady cash no matter what the economy is doing.
The case for and against
Both sides of the story, in plain English.
- Profits Outrun Sales
Revenue grew just 1% this quarter to 7.2 billion dollars, but profit jumped 9% to nearly 2.5 billion dollars. Most of McDonald's money comes from rent and fees paid by franchise owners, so it keeps about 35 cents of every dollar it brings in. It also raised its dividend 4% to 1.93 dollars a share.
- Loyalty Flywheel
Sales to loyalty members reached 41 billion dollars over the past year across 70 markets, and more than 11 billion dollars of that came in this quarter alone. That direct line to customers helped push total sales across all McDonald's restaurants up 4% to over 38 billion dollars.
- Fewer Feet
U.S. sales at restaurants open at least a year slipped 0.2%, because fewer customers came in and bigger orders only mostly made up the difference. Management says new value deals helped things improve as the quarter went on, but for now its home market is still going backwards.
- Slow Lane
Worldwide, sales at restaurants open at least a year grew only 1.5%, down from 3.6% a year earlier. Japan, Germany and Australia led the way, but China and France dragged, and total revenue rose just 1%. This is a steady compounder, not a fast grower.
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How to read this page
This automated research summary uses Financial Modeling Prep market data through 2026-11-12. Model signals, scores, and risk labels can change and may be incomplete or wrong.
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