Adapting to fickle tastes is key to their success

Article Excerpt

Both McDonald’s and General Mills have dominated their industries for decades. However, for new buying we prefer McDonald’s given its greater success at adapting to changing consumer tastes. MCDONALD’S CORP. $176 (New York symbol MCD; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 797.2 million; Market cap: $140.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 6.0; Dividend yield: 2.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mcdonalds.com) is the world’s largest operator of fast-food restaurants, with 37,000 outlets in 120 countries. It serves a wide variety of food, but is best known for its hamburgers and french fries. In the quarter ended September 30, 2017, McDonald’s revenue fell 10.4%, to $5.75 billion from $6.42 billion a year earlier. That’s mainly because the company continues to transfer outlets to its franchisees. Its aim is to have those partners operate 95% of locations, up from today’s 90%. As part of its re-franchising plan, McDonald’s recently sold 80% of over 2,700 restaurants in China to a group led by one of the…