Two low-risk buys for global growth

Article Excerpt

These two fast-food companies give investors a great way to gain international exposure with less risk. Both also trade at reasonable multiples to earnings and have long histories of rising dividends. MCDONALD’S CORP. $90 (New York symbol MCD; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.0 billion; Market cap: $90.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mcdonalds.com) operates 34,000 restaurants in 119 countries. Two-thirds of its sales come from outside the U.S. It serves a variety of foods, but is best known for its hamburgers and french fries. McDonald’s continues to benefit from strong demand for its Dollar Menu, which features items like breakfast sandwiches and coffee for just $1. It is also seeing strong sales of new premium items and foods that it sells on a limited-time basis. The company’s same-store sales rose 2.4% in November…