Innovative McDonald’s
The company is innovating, not only its menu, but also its stores, operations and technology. With the restaurant industry growing at a slow rate, innovation is what makes McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) unique and attractive. Ideas for innovation are both borrowed as well as generated on its own. Vast geographical spread has given the company an edge to diversify its ideas.
One such example is borrowing the idea of McCafe and Chicken McBites from its Australian operations. A dinner box multi-person bundled meal has been quite common in Australia since 2010, and the company is considering taking this concept to the U.S, which is the largest market for McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD). Over time, the concept of eating together and sharing has become popular both when in a group of friends or with office colleagues. This habit can be capitalized on with the introduction of a dinner box in the U.S and gradually across different markets.
Chef Dan Coudreaut is an executive Chef and director of culinary innovation. He and his team are responsible for brainstorming new menus to impress the taste buds of his customers. While developing a menu, not only the taste, but also its sustainability, depending on the eating habits and continued supply of quality products, is considered. These aspects set McDonald’s apart from its competitors.
Further, customers have changed with time. Quality and standards awareness of the food is on the rise. Keeping this in mind, McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) has come up with new packaging designs on all carry bags and fountain beverage cups. These packages will provide nutritional information about the food in text and illustrations in an interesting way. All these factors underscore the innovative nature of the company, which will help it grow and sustain.
Entering a new territory
McDonald’s business structure consists of five geographical divisions – United States, Europe, Asia/Pacific/Middle East/ Africa, Latin America and Canada.
However, nearly 75% of the company’s revenue comes from the US, making it the largest market and the key focus for the company. At the same time, expanding into emerging markets to gain market share is also what the company aims to do. This is evident from a recent announcement of the company to start its operations in Vietnam.
Vietnam is the 38th country in Asia that will get to experience McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD). GDP growth in Vietnam is expected to be 5.5% in 2013. With higher disposable income, the population is spending more on branded food. Changing eating habits of developing nations is what McDonald’s wants to capitalize on. Going forward, the share of revenue from emerging markets is likely to increase gradually and emerging markets will keep top-line growth healthy for the company.
Financials and valuations
Revenue for the company has increased to $6,605 million in the first quarter in spite of a global economic slowdown and the socio-economic situation at China, which has affected most of its competitors. Global comparable store sales for May increased by 2.6% primarily due to an increase in comparable sales across regions.
The company is currently trading at a PE of just 18.7, compared to the industry average of 24.2. The undervaluation compared to its peers seems higher considering an expected earnings growth rate estimate of around 10% in fiscal year 2014 and 11% in fiscal 2015. Besides the growth trajectory, which can fuel stock upside, the company also has an impressive dividend history. The current dividend yield for the company is 3.1%.
McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) also paid back $1,126.5 million to its investors in the first quarter in the form of dividends and share repurchases. Even in fiscal 2012, $5.5 billion was returned to its shareholder with $2.9 billion as dividend and $2.6 billion in share repurchases. These facts indicate that the company believes in rewarding its investors.
