McDonald's posts rare sales miss as Middle East hit weakens overseas business
Business
McDonald's posts rare sales miss as Middle East hit weakens overseas business
(Reuters) - McDonald's (MCD.N) reported its first quarterly sales miss in nearly four years on Monday on weak sales growth at its international business division, partly due to the conflict in the Middle East, sending the company's shares down about 4%.
The burger giant is among several Western brands that have seen protests and boycott campaigns against them over their perceived pro-Israeli stance in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
McDonald's said the war had "meaningfully impacted" performance in some overseas markets in the fourth quarter.
With the most pronounced hit in the Middle East, the company also saw an impact on business in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as in France, CEO Chris Kempczinski said on a post-earnings call.
"So long as this war is going on ... we're not expecting to see any significant improvement (in these markets)."
Comparable sales in McDonald's International Developmental Licensed Markets segment rose 0.7% in the fourth quarter, widely missing estimates of 5.5% growth, according to LSEG data. The business accounted for 10% of McDonald's total revenue in 2023.
"The effects (of the war) on earnings durability would be our biggest concern ... it looks like this is going to be an issue that persists past the next quarter or maybe even two," said Brian Mulberry, client portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management, which holds McDonald's shares.
