Stock at an all-time high and a 33% dividend increase..
McDonald’s (MCD) said on Thursday it would raise its quarterly cash dividend by 33% to 50 cents per share as strong sales helped boost its overall cash from operations.
“We are confident in our ability to invest in key growth opportunities and maintain a strong credit rating even as we return a significant amount of cash to shareholders,” McDonald’s Chief Executive Jim Skinner said.
McDonalds plans to return $15 billion to $17 billion in cash to shareholders from 2007 to 2009. In 2007 they returned $5.7 billion to shareholders via a combination of dividends and share repurchases and have returned $5.1 billion so far this year.
In tough time the best run companies eventually rise to the top, McDonalds clearly is one of them.
Disclosure (“none” means no position):Long MCD,
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