Consumer discretionary stocks are under pressure, and that weakness extends to several iconic, large-cap blue-chip stocks. However, at a time when many stocks are underperforming, McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) is trending in the right direction. After navigating through a tricky 2024, MCD stock is finding firmer footing as it leans into a value proposition that is setting it apart from PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) and Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NASDAQ: DPZ), two of the leading names in this sector.
For the last 12 months, MCD stock has delivered a total return of over 11%. By contrast, PEP stock was down about 11% during that time, and DPZ stock delivered a total return of around 5.5%. All three stocks pay dividends, with Pepsi, McDonald’s, and Domino’s having 52, 49, and 12 consecutive years of dividend increases, respectively.
