15 Best Humanoid Robot Stocks That Will Ride A $30 Trillion Opportunity According To Morgan Stanley

4. McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD)

Number of Hedge Fund Investors  in Q1 2024: 63

McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) is a global leader in the fast food industry, which naturally makes it a key beneficiary of humanoid robots. This is due to the extensive consumer facing nature of its business, where humanoids are likely to help make customers feel comfortable when interacting with machines. McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD)’s vast financial resources, as evidenced by $4.5 billion in cash means that it can test new technologies without feeling the pinch. The firm used this to open its first robotic restaurant in Texas in 2023, making it an early mover in the space. Overall, McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD)’s global operations footprint offers it a large market and stability, but its exclusive exposure to consumers means that revenues are hurt in a tough economy. As a result, even though McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) targets low to mid income customers, its revenue struggles when consumer spending is low, and the firm has to carefully balance any potential price increases during an inflationary era with its impact on demand during such times. Additionally, McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) expanded automation in its stores in September when it introduced kiosks to collect cash from customers and remove the need for cashiers, as per Bloomberg.

Carillon Tower Advisers mentioned McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in its Q1 2024 investor letter. Here is what the firm said:

“McDonald’s faces several short-term headwinds. Lower-income consumers have been cautious with spending, as they are feeling the cumulative effects of inflation more than higher-income cohorts. As the low cost/ value player in fast food, McDonald’s has a customer base that skews lower income. Also, as an international company, McDonald’s is feeling negative effects from war and tensions in the Middle East, as well as softness in China.”