McDonald’s Feb. Same-Store Sales Rise 4.8% (MCD)

in Gold Gold Investing Gold Investment by admin — March 8, 2010 7:17 am | no comments

Fast food giant McDonald’s Corporation ( MCD ) said Monday that its February global same-store sales rose a better-than-expected 4.8%. On average, Wall Street analysts had expected a smaller same-store sales increase of just 2.1%, according to two analysts surveyed by FactSet Research. Same-store sales are considered a key indicator of a retailer’s health, since they measure the performance of stores open at least 13 months. In the U.S., same-store sales rose 0.6%, and jumped 5.4% in Europe. The biggest jump was in the company’s Asia, Middle East and Africa segment, where same-store sales surged 10.5%. Total sales rose 11.2% from last February, or by 6.4% when excluding the impact of currency fluctuations. McDonald’s shares rose 61 cents, or +1%, in premarket trading Monday. The Bottom Line We have been recommending shares of MCD since Aug.12, when the stock was trading at $56.02. The company has a 3.46% dividend yield, based on Friday’s closing stock price of $63.67. McDonald’s Corporation ( MCD ) is a “recommended” dividend stock, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here .