I recently spoke with a McDonald's Operator who is thinking about blowing off some steam
by initiating a conversation with one or more Wall Street analysts. The Operator was having doubts because "I'm not a McDonald's shareholder and I don't follow the stock".
That's not the issue - analysts don't want your input on the stock market - that's their job. Analysts want to know what's going on in the stores and in the marketplace as a counter balance to the never ending happy talk they get from Oak Brook.
It's common knowledge that I've been working with a certain analyst for the better part of 15 years. In all those years, with countless phone calls, E-mail discussions, and survey work we've never discussed the McDonald's share price or the stock market in general. He's never asked and I've never offered. My job is to help him better understand what's going on with McDonald's Operators, period.
The same applies to all the analysts I've worked with over the years, no one's ever broached
the subject. Wall Street analysts would have no reason to discuss share prices or trends with
me or with McDonald's Operators.
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2 comments:
The above comment about "core group of operators" is dead right.
They are recruiting new, fresh faces for the bullpen too. These people spend their days sitting in meetings, nodding their heads and coming up with ways to help the company achieve whatever goal they have for today.
Meanwhile, back in these young, fresh faced operators stores, operations suck but these people sure look good leading the discussion of what "excellence" is.
Operations only matters if you say "no". Financials only matter if you say, "no". Minimum requirements only matter if you say, "no". Young, fresh, "yes" means growth. 5 years from today will be interesting, because stores are selling at ridiculous valuations and many are highly leveraged- operations still matters in the long run. Customers aren't "wow'ed" at meetings.
It's disgusting.
It is felony stupid that we dont talk to Wall Street. We own the stores, they own the stock, the corporate jerks own nothing. But yet we do their bidding.
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