Updating your Conservative stocks: McDonald’s Corp., Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Co. and General Mills Inc.

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MCDONALD’S CORP. $243 (www.mcdonalds.com) is a buy. The fast-food giant is now testing a meatless burger (called McPlant) in several U.K. markets. The new product should help the company tap into rising consumer interest in meatless foods and better compete with rival chains that already have vegetarian options. If this test is successful, McDonald’s could launch the McPlant in the U.S. and other countries in 2022. McDonald’s is a buy. HEWLETT-PACKARD ENTERPRISE CO. $13 (www.hpe.com) is a hold. The company continues to enjoy strong demand for its software and cloud-computing services, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many employees to work from home. In its fiscal 2021 third quarter, ended July 31, 2021, revenue rose 1.2%, to $6.90 billion from $6.82 billion a year earlier. Thanks to a cost-cutting plan, per-share earning improved 30.6%, to $0.47 from $0.36. However, the global chip shortage could hurt its sales and profits. HP Enterprise is a hold. GENERAL MILLS INC. $60 (www.generalmills.com) is still…