Industry Conditions
While a difficult economy has caused most consumers to spend less, the market for quick-service restaurants, has experienced slow growth recently (Standard and Poor’s, 2012). The increase in traffic from those switching from higher priced restaurants to quick-service restaurants has been balanced by the number of individuals who opt to eat at home to decrease their costs of eating out. Further, costs for quick-service restaurants have increased. According to Standard and Poor’s (2012), increases in food and paper costs this past year, have resulted in lower operating margins as restaurants are assuming the costs rather than increasing the cost of food for consumers. According to Jim Yin (n.d.), CFA, “Year to date through February 17, the S&P Restaurants Index was up 4.4% versus an 8.7% increase for the S&P 1500 Index. In 2011, the sub-industry index outperformed the 1500, with a gain of 27.9% versus a 0.3% decline.”
Financial Position of McDonald’s Corporation (MCD)
McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) is the leader in global foodservice retail with more than 33,000 restaurants worldwide and 1.7 million employees in 119 countries (“McDonald’s Corporation”, 2012). Approximately 68 million people eat at McDonald’s each day (“McDonald’s Corporation”, 2012). With international growth and globalization on the rise for many quick service restaurants, such as Starbucks and Yum!, McDonald’s Corporation has also taken advantage of worldwide global growth. McDonald’s has grown their market in China, India, and other foreign countries (Murphy, 2011). According to Standard and Poor’s (2012), McDonald’s Corporation revenues have increased from $22.7 million in 2009 to $27 million in 2011. Additionally, McDonald’s operating income has increased since 2006 and their cash flow and current assets have increased steadily since 2009 (Standard and Poor’s, 2012).