MCDONALD’S CORP. $99 (New York symbol MCD; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 989.0 million; Market cap: $97.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.6; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.mcdonalds.com) plans to spur its sales in China by adding new menu items that better suit local tastes, such as rice dishes and green tea ice cream. The company is also introducing more value-priced items as China’s economic growth slows.
In addition, the company plans to add 300 new outlets to the 2,000 it currently operates in China this year.
It is also selling more of these locations to local owners. McDonald’s aims to have franchisees operate 20% of its Chinese outlets by 2015, up from 12% last year.
McDonald’s is a buy.