$MCD (-0,65 %)

• In the second quarter (ending June 2025), McDonald's reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.19, after expecting around $3.14 - clearly beating the estimate. Revenue increased 5% YoY to $6.84 billion, also above consensus forecasts.
• Worldwide comparable sales increased by 3.8%, in the US sales per location increased by 2.5%, reversing the decline from the previous quarter.
• A critical look at the first quarter: EPS fell to USD 2.60 (-2 % YoY), or USD 2.67 on an adjusted basis, with global comparable sales falling by 1 % (roughly neutral excluding the leap year effect). A decline in guest numbers was particularly noticeable in the USA (-3.6 %).

Strategic priorities & initiatives 2025

• Value offensive & McValue platform: McDonald's aims to stabilize sales and guest numbers with the introduction of the McValue program (e.g. $5 meal deals). This focus has already helped to boost business in Q2.
• Franchise expansion & new markets: McDonald's plans to open around 2,200 new restaurants worldwide in 2025 (approx. 4% growth), including around 600 in the US and key foreign markets .
• Digital transformation & loyalty programs: Expansion of the digital platform, target: from currently around 150 million active loyalty members to 250 million by 2027. At the same time, McDonald's is investing heavily in technology, particularly AI .
• Krispy Kreme partnership: McDonald's has been testing the introduction of doughnuts in US restaurants since 2024 - they are to be available in up to 12,000 branches by the end of 2026. This campaign is estimated to increase annual sales and EBITDA by several hundred million dollars.

🚀 Outlook & drivers for the coming months

• Q3/Q4 2025: The next company figures, including Q3 2025 (probably in November), should show whether the strategy is working in the long term. Rising guest numbers, further value promotions and digital offerings will be decisive in the course of 2025.
• AI focus: McDonald's announced that it will invest significantly in AI infrastructure by 2027 - with a global tech hub in India and a focus on data platforms, engineering and platform architecture.
• Key figure forecasts from the investor deck: Among other things, the company expects for 2025: CAPEX of $3.0-3.2 billion, operating margin in the mid-upper 40% range, free cash flow conversion of c. 80% .

Conclusion for 2025

McDonald's is performing a balancing act in 2025: the company countered skeptical customer traffic figures in Q1 with a clear value push and digital innovations - the result: a convincing increase in sales and profits in Q2. With focus-oriented investments in AI, global expansion, increased loyalty and strategic partnerships (e.g. Krispy Kreme), McDonald's appears to be well positioned for growth over the course of the year.

Hello everyone,

After more than a year, it's time to present my portfolio again, as a lot has changed.

I am clearly pursuing a buy-and-hold strategy with quality stocks. As a core I currently have the $GGRP (+0,7 %)and the $IWDA (+0,49 %) . The $GGRP (+0,7 %) will soon leave my portfolio and half of it will be reallocated to the $IWDA and the $XDEM (-0,47 %) will be reallocated. This is simply because I think it's a good idea to have an ETF in my more growth-oriented portfolio that doesn't just have dividend payers in its line-up.

I find the $XDEM (-0,47 %) in particular, as it focuses exclusively on stocks that have performed well recently. The fact that the excess return naturally drives up volatility somewhat is perfectly okay, as my investment horizon is at least 20 years.

Otherwise, another 57% of my portfolio consists of individual shares. My plan has actually always been a 50/50 ratio, but this has changed somewhat due to the strong equity returns. However, the ETF positions will soon be filled with around 600 euros of my training income. This should then level out a little better, as long as shares don't continue to rise enormously.

If you take a closer look at the shares, I think the strong focus on the classic ETF drivers such as $NVDA (+0,78 %) , $MSFT (-0,35 %) , $GOOG (+2,17 %) and $AMZN (+2,06 %) stand out. Of course, the ETFs in the portfolio increase the proportion of these stocks, but that is absolutely intentional. I remain very optimistic about the AI runners and see further growth and sufficient stability in the coming years.

I always find the following particularly noteworthy $EUZ (+0,46 %) . It is the only German company in my portfolio. I am very confident in the long term and am excited to see how they will develop. Unfortunately, my $MC (+1,54 %) position should also be mentioned. Well, bad luck and I didn't have the courage to sell when the downward trend was clear. But at least I can now offset the taxes from the $GGRP (+0,7 %)-sale by selling the LVMH position and then buying it again immediately. As soon as the luxury segment improves again, I am sure that LVMH will be back at the top of the industry.

The bottom part of my portfolio currently consists of $MCD (-0,65 %) and $MDLZ (-0,17 %) among others. Due to the strong returns of the other shares, these two positions have become somewhat unimportant in my portfolio. At around 2% each, they have simply become too small for me, which is why I will be merging them. However, not again in a stable share with a dividend, but rather in a growth driver. I am currently watching $ANET (-0,04 %) and am pretty convinced. The restructuring will probably soon lead to a EUR 4,000 position in Arista and free up another EUR 2,000 for the ETFs.

That should be all. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask, otherwise I'm very happy to receive your feedback :)

(A little info: The sum of the deposit comes from my grandfather's inheritance. The ETF shares I bought early on were bought by my father, as I was of course too young. Then I got involved with shares and was allowed to have more and more of a say. I currently make my own decisions about the portfolio)

$BNTX (-0,89 %)
$KSPI (+0,38 %)
$HIMS (+0,74 %)
$MELI (+2,98 %)
$PLTR (+1,15 %)
$DRO (+5,24 %)
$IFX (+1,62 %)
$9434 (+1,42 %)
$FR0010108928
$DHL (-0,7 %)
$BOSS (+1,05 %)
$CONTININS
$DOCN (+3,58 %)
$LMND (-0,28 %)
$BP. (+0,99 %)
$FRA (+0,33 %)
$PFIZER
$SNAP (+1,32 %)
$AMD (+1,57 %)
$SMCI (+2,72 %)
$OPEN (+37,62 %)
$CPNG (+0,84 %)
$LCID (-3,87 %)
$CBK (-3,4 %)
$ZAL (+2,82 %)
$NOVO B (+2,41 %)
$VNA (+1,8 %)
$BAYN (+1,62 %)
$UBER (+1,65 %)
$SHOP (+2,85 %)
$MCD (-0,65 %)
$DIS (+1,31 %)
$ROK (+2,41 %)
$ABNB (+1,63 %)
$RUN (+9,39 %)
$FTNT (+2,02 %)
$O (-2,05 %)
$DASH (+0,46 %)
$DUOL
$S92 (+3,94 %)
$DDOG (+0,12 %)
$SEDG (+12,02 %)
$QBTS (+4,8 %)
$RHM (+1,12 %)
$DTE (-0,38 %)
$ALV (-0,28 %)
$LLY (-0,81 %)
$CYBR (+0,39 %)
$PTON (+1,81 %)
$DKNG (+1,77 %)
$RL (-0,86 %)
$PINS
$TTWO (-0,06 %)
$TWLO (+5,19 %)
$MNST (-3,27 %)
$STNE (+2,5 %)
$MUV2 (-0,91 %)
$WEED (+1,66 %)
$GOOS (+3,5 %)
$PETR3T
$ANET (-0,04 %)

✅ I took profits today from Amazon $AMZN (+2,06 %) , Microsoft $MSFT (-0,35 %) and NVIDIA $NVDA (+0,78 %) realized.

📥 This money was directly reinvested to strengthen dividend and future stocks.

💸 Newly invested (one-off purchases today):

• Take-Two Interactive $TTWO (-0,06 %) - (future play with GTA 6)
• Shell $SHEL (+0,18 %) - (energy + dividend)
• BYD $1211 (+2,35 %) - (growth China/E-mobility)
• Procter & Gamble $PG (-1,12 %) - (stable dividend, consumer goods)
• Allianz $ALV (-0,28 %) - (high dividend, defensive)
• McDonald's $MCD (-0,65 %) - (dividend aristocrat + consumer)

📆 Savings plans from August (monthly):

• Johnson & Johnson $JNJ (-0,91 %)
• 
  Realty Income $O (-2,05 %)
• 
  FTSE All-World High Dividend Yield ETF $VHYL (+0,1 %)
• 
  S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats ETF $ZPRG (+0,68 %) (one-off)

➡️ Goal: More passive income through dividends & better balance in the portfolio between tech and defensive stocks.

🧠 Long-term oriented, with a clear focus on quality, stability & growth.

What do you think?

Dear stock market participants,

Today I went from my beloved Big Mac to my first few McDonald's shares.

The aim is to hold the shares for the long term - we're talking about a time horizon of 30 to 50 years (God willing).

What do you think of fast food as an investment?

Do you have any other exciting fast food stocks?

Or recommendations from the food sector in general?

The next dividend will of course be deliberately reinvested in a Big Mac. 😜

$MCD (-0,65 %)
#fastfood
#stocks

Hello lovelies,

The price of eggs has allegedly been lowered 🍊. However, it is currently causing a huge price increase for coffee and juice.

Which companies could be affected by this?

$SBUX (-1,09 %)
$MCD (-0,65 %)
$MDLZ (-0,17 %)
$HSY (-0,53 %) etc.

If 50 percent tariffs are imposed on imports from Brazil from August, US consumers could face massive price increases for coffee and orange juice. Experts warn that supply chains could come to a standstill.

US consumers face the threat of drastic price increases for coffee and orange juice if President Donald Trump imposes tariffs of 50 percent on imports from Brazil as threatened. Experts and traders have warned that the import duty planned from August 1 would bring the supply of Brazilian coffee to the USA to a standstill. Neither US roasters nor Brazilian exporters would be able to bridge the price difference resulting from the duty.

America's favorite drink

No other country drinks as much coffee as the USA. Around a third of this popular beverage comes to the USA from Brazil. According to its exporters' association Cecafe, the South Americans delivered 8.14 million 60-kilogram bags to the USA in 2024. Other foods are also likely to become more expensive. For example, more than half of the orange juice sold in the USA comes from Brazil. Other export products include sugar, wood products and oil.

Paulo Armelin, a large coffee producer who sells directly to US roasters, explained that his customers would probably not be able to pay him if the threatened tariff is implemented. Even without the levy, negotiations for deliveries this year would be difficult due to the 70 percent increase in coffee prices last year. "We will have to look for other markets, perhaps Germany."

lph/Reuters

https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/usa-drohen-wegen-donald-trumps-zoellen-hoehere-kaffeepreise-a-ff54dd15-753f-456a-bdc0-c45151b3e8fd

Half of the year is now over. Incidentally, since July 2, we are closer to the year 2050 than to the year 2000 - just saying.

How could it be otherwise, June was also quite volatile in the middle, but the S&P500 regained everything and closed June with +2.12%. YTD, however, it is still at -7.36%.

In June, I recorded a loss of 0.32%. This corresponds to a value of around €380. It has to be said that I received fewer dividends, as getquin does not deduct withholding tax. But more about the dividends later.

The Dax (-1.11%) was finally worse than my portfolio this month. However, the HSBC MSCI World (+0.68%) beat me this time. Well, the DAX still has a bit of a head start. However, the MSCI is catching up considerably over the year. Nevertheless, I still have a slight lead of around 4%.

My high and low performers in June were (top 3):

Nintendo ($7974 (+1,98 %) ) +14,96%

Airbus ($AIR (-0,17 %) ) +9,91%

Texas Instruments ($TXN (+1,46 %) ) +9,63%

McDonald's ($MCD (-0,65 %) ) -9,24%

Procter & Gamble ($PG (-1,12 %) ) -9,63%

Nestle ($NESN (-0,45 %) ) -10,17%

Texas Instruments $TXN (+1,46 %) is among the top 3 stocks again. But still only just over 0% for the year. The customs hullabaloo has simply taken its toll.

Airbus $AIR (-0,17 %) is of course benefiting from the Boeing disaster and the defense division is also doing quite well.

Nintendo $7974 (+1,98 %) has finally released the Switch 2 and is rising and rising and rising. I would have bought more six months ago... You're always smarter afterwards.

Dividends:

In June, I received €277.64 net from a total of 26 distributions.

Compared to June 2024 (€130.83), this was an increase of 112.21%.

Now comes July. The announcement of the distribution from the Global Dividend Growth ETF is not quite as bad as expected. The worst month of the year has thus changed to October.

Investments:

I still haven't finished building up my nest egg. I still haven't received the bill for the car repairs, so I still have a lot to put aside for that. In the meantime, it could come slowly so that I can finally get it off my plate. Apart from that, my nest egg is growing but it will take some time before it is at a satisfactory level. However, it should reach €10,000 by the end of December, provided nothing serious unforeseen happens.

Purchases and sales:

There were no sales in June.

I bought or increased Hershey (2 shares) and Pepsi (2 shares)

savings plans (125€ in total):

• Cintas $CTAS (-2,19 %)
• LVMH $MC (+1,54 %)
• Microsoft $MSFT (-0,35 %)

Goals 2025:

My goal is still to have €130,000 in my portfolio at the end of the year. This target is to be achieved by reinvesting the dividend, making payments and, of course, increasing the share price. The share price increase is of course impossible to predict in any way, so the motto is: if the share price falls or does not rise enough, more cash is needed.

This comes from selling useless stuff on eBay, additional income from e.g. "neighborhood help" etc.

The worse the share price, the more additional cash has to be raised.

Target achievement at the end of June 2025: 44.44%

Who would have thought that I should actually be at least 50%. I'm not, which means I'm lagging a little behind the optimal path again. But what can't be done, can still be done.

How was your June?

Do you have any particular goals for the second half of the year?

If you're interested in a mid-year review from me, please let me know in the comments.

If you liked the report and would like to read more, feel free to follow me,

If you're not interested, feel free to keep scrolling or use the block function.