McDonald’s Earnings: Are Investors Lovin’ It?

McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE:MCD) delivered a profit and beat Wall Street’s expectations, AND beat the revenue expectation. However, the growth has slowed and investor might just be concerned. Shares up 0.26%.

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McDonald’s Corp. Earnings Cheat Sheet

Results: Net income increased 1.7% to $1.4 billion ($1.38 per diluted share) in the quarter versus a net gain of $1.38 billion in the year-earlier quarter.

Revenue: Rose 1.87% to $6.95 billion from the year-earlier quarter.

Actual vs. Wall St. Expectations: McDonald’s Corp. reported adjusted net income of $1.38 per share. By that measure, the company beat the mean analyst estimate of $1.33. It beat the average revenue estimate of $6.89 billion.

Quoting Management:

Don Thompson continued, “As we begin the new year, our average annual long-term targets in constant currency remain intact: Systemwide sales growth of 3% to 5%, operating income growth of 6% to 7%, and return on incremental invested capital in the high teens. We believe these targets remain realistic and sustainable for a company of our size and maturity. In 2013, we plan to invest about $3.2 billion of capital to open between 1,500 – 1,600 new McDonald’s restaurants and to reinvest in our existing locations, including reimaging more than 1,600 locations worldwide. We are confident that now is an opportune time to invest in our restaurant portfolio in ways that will yield value for all stakeholders in the future…