McDonalds Value Stock - Dividend - Research Selection

The Company operates and franchises McDonald’s restaurants, which serve a locally-relevant menu of quality food and beverages sold at various price points in more than 100 countries. McDonald’s global system is comprised of both Company-owned and franchised restaurants. McDonald’s franchised restaurants are owned and operated under one of the following structures - conventional franchise, developmental license or affiliate. The optimal ownership structure for an individual restaurant, trading area or market (country) is based on a variety of factors, including the availability of individuals with the entrepreneurial experience and financial resources, as well as the local legal and regulatory environment in critical areas such as property ownership and franchising. We continually review our mix of Company-owned and franchised restaurants to help optimize overall performance, with a goal to be approximately 95% franchised over the long term. The business relationship between McDonald’s and its independent franchisees is of fundamental importance to overall performance and to the McDonald’s brand. This business relationship is supported by an agreement that requires adherence to standards and policies essential to protecting our brand.

The Company is primarily a franchisor, with approximately 85% of McDonald's restaurants currently owned and operated by independent franchisees. Franchising enables an individual to be their own employer and maintain control over all employment related matters, marketing and pricing decisions, while also benefiting from the strength of McDonald’s global brand, operating system and financial resources. One of the strengths of this model is that the expertise gained from operating Company-owned restaurants allows McDonald’s to improve the operations and success of all restaurants while innovations from franchisees can be tested and, when viable, efficiently implemented across relevant restaurants.

Directly operating McDonald’s restaurants contributes significantly to our ability to act as a credible franchisor. Having Company-owned restaurants provides Company personnel with a venue for restaurant operations training experience. In addition, in our Company-owned and operated restaurants, and in collaboration with franchisees, we are able to further develop and refine operating standards, marketing concepts and product and pricing strategies that will ultimately benefit relevant McDonald’s restaurants.

Under a conventional franchise arrangement, the Company generally owns the land and building or secures a long-term lease for the restaurant location and the franchisee pays for equipment, signs, seating and décor. The Company believes that ownership of real estate, combined with the co-investment by franchisees, enables us to achieve restaurant performance levels that are among the highest in the industry.

Franchisees are also responsible for reinvesting capital in their businesses over time. In addition, to accelerate implementation of certain initiatives, the Company frequently co-invests with franchisees to fund improvements to their restaurants or their operating systems. These investments, developed with input from McDonald’s with the aim of improving local business performance, increase the value of our brand through the development of modernized, more attractive and higher revenue generating restaurants.

The Company’s typical franchise term is 20 years. The Company requires franchisees to meet rigorous standards and generally does not work with passive investors. The business relationship with franchisees is designed to assure consistency and high quality at all McDonald’s restaurants. Conventional franchisees contribute to the Company’s revenue through the payment of rent and royalties based upon a percent of sales, with specified minimum rent payments, along with initial fees paid upon the opening of a new restaurant or grant of a new franchise. This structure enables McDonald’s to generate significant levels of cash flow.

Under a developmental license arrangement, licensees provide capital for the entire business, including the real estate interest. The Company does not invest any capital under a developmental license arrangement. The Company receives a royalty based upon a percent of sales as well as initial fees upon the opening of a new restaurant or grant of a new license. We use the developmental license ownership structure in over 80 countries with a total of approximately 6,300 restaurants. The largest developmental licensee operates approximately 2,200 restaurants in 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. In early 2017, the Company announced the sale of its businesses in China and Hong Kong, including more than 1,750 company-operated restaurants, to a developmental licensee. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company will retain a 20% ownership in the business.The Company expects to complete the sale and licensing transaction mid-year 2017.

Finally, the Company also has an equity investment in a limited number of foreign affiliated markets, referred to as “affiliates.” In these markets, the Company receives a royalty based on a percent of sales and records its share of net results in Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates. The largest of these affiliates is Japan, where there are nearly 3,000 restaurants.