McDonalds
$MCD (-0,02 %) reported fourth quarter EPS of $2.83, $0.07 worse than the analyst estimate of $2.90.
Revenue for the quarter amounted to $6.39B, compared to the average estimate of $6.51B.
A declining appetite among US consumers for McDonald's burgers has caused the fast food chain to suffer a bigger drop in sales than feared.
Sales on the domestic market fell by 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter, as the company announced on Monday. Analysts had expected a fall of 0.4 percent. This was the sharpest decline since the peak of the coronavirus pandemic almost five years ago, when restaurants restricted their operations to drive-in and delivery.
Although restaurant visits increased slightly, customers spent less money in the stores on average. Adjusted profit fell by five percent overall to 2.04 billion dollars.
Among other things, the brief infestation of coli bacteria in some McDonald's US branches in October had a negative impact. The pathogens got into burgers of the Quarter Pounder variety, known in Germany as Hamburger Royal TS, via onions from a supplier.
Customers also tightened their spending belts due to economic uncertainties. The USA is the company's largest market.
Internationally, things went somewhat better for the fast-food chain, especially in the Middle East and Japan. Comparable sales grew by 0.4 percent worldwide, surprising analysts who had expected a decline of 0.63 percent.