Improving international sales helped overcome US weakness in fourth quarter: McDonald's

Washington, Feb 10 (AP) Improving international sales helped McDonald's overcome some weakness at home in the fourth quarter.

McDonald's same-store sales in the US, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell 1.4 per cent in the October-December period after an E. coli outbreak tied to its Quarter Pounder hamburgers dented demand, the company said Monday.

But same-store sales in its licensed markets overseas climbed 4.1 per cent. McDonald's had strong sales growth in the Middle East, where sales have struggled in recent years, and Japan.

Overall, McDonald's global same-store sales rose less than 1 per cent for the fourth quarter. That was better than the 1.1 per cent decline Wall Street had forecast, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

Fourth-quarter revenue fell slightly to USD 6.38 billion. That was short of the USD 6.45 billion analysts were expecting.

The company's fourth-quarter net income also fell, 1 per cent to USD 2.01 billion.

Adjusted for one-time items, McDonald's earned USD 2.83 per share, which was lower than the USD 2.85 per share than Wall Street anticipated. (AP) PY PY

Source: PTI