After nearly a half century on this planet, McDonald’s has become one of my favorite dividend stocks. You see, every 10 or so years, McDonald’s stops growing, or starts having lower sales, or whatever. There is panic all around, the CEO gets replaced, and then McDonald’s goes back to doing what it has done for longer than I’ve been around, making burgers and making money.
McDonald’s Dividend Increase
No one is currently panicking about their same store sales, or that Americans are eating healthier. However, McDonald’s has a company to run and can’t just wait around for some analyst somewhere to spook investors. So, along with McDonald’s latest quarterly earnings, the company announced a dividend increase.
Unless you are trying to live on your McDonald’s dividends, the exact amount isn’t really that important. In the interest of having all the information, the increase is 15 cents. If you’re still growing your investments, or just looking to get some sweet returns from McDonald’s while you are holding onto their stock, what we really care about is where that puts MCD’s dividend yield.
This morning at around $248 and change, McDonald’s’ (I’m gonna have to check on that punctuation) annual dividend yield is 2.65%. Last year, this was a no brainer, but with the Fed in a rush to prove how tough it is on inflation, there are places where we can grab nearly double that with no risk. Assuming that we don’t want to take advantage of online high-yield savings accounts rates, then 2.65% is a solid pay rate to hold McDonald’s stock for a few years, or more.
McDonald’s Outlook
The analysts for MCD are nearly unanimous in their bearish outlook on McDonalds. Once again, the growth isn’t there are some same store sales are worrying. Brand new song, same as the old song… or something. While it is entirely true that McDonald’s may trade down several percentage points from here, it is also true that being paid 2.65% by the company to hold onto its stock until there are different same store sales numbers, and people aren’t eating at home more because they are worried the Fed broke the economy, is a pretty solid deal.
If you want in on McDonald’s at this point for a multi-year investment, there is almost no reason to not get your position on. If you are hoping that maybe, just maybe, you could hold out and get close to a 3% annual dividend while you park your cash in your brokerage’s money market account, or Marcus online high-yield savings account, that is a reasonable play as well. Just beware, if the Fed didn’t break the economy, and politicians deliberately shutting down the government doesn’t send everything into a tailspin, then this might be as good as it gets for your McDonald’s investment.
What I’m Doing with McDonald’s Stock
I’m not adding to MCD here. I’m not selling either. I’m comfortable with my current MCD position and am in no hurry to change things up here. The increased dividend is a nice sweetener, but everything about McDonald’s remains the same. Count me among those feeling a little bit greedy about how good this annual dividend yield could get. In the meantime, I’ll wait over here in a tax-free money market account earning 4.6%.
I am not ashamed to admit that I am building up a cute little position in McDonald’s via the Grifin investing app which drops a dollar into the stock every time I eat there.
About the Author
Brian is a former Certified Financial Planner with over 20 years’ experience in banking and finance. As of the date of publication, Brian owns McDonald’s stock, although that may change at any time without notice. This is not a recommendation to buy or sell securities. Speak to your financial or tax professionals for advice specific to your own situation.