Ordinarily, I would tell you a story here – one rooted in the truth, telling of a humble beginning and amazing growth, leaving out just enough detail to keep you guessing just a little bit in the event you didn’t recognize the ticker symbol in the title and your eyes hadn’t yet drifted to the bottom of the page. But this company has documentaries about its history and success. This company literally changed the world. And now they’ve announced fifty consecutive years of dividend increases.
There’s a good chance it was your first job and a good chance it will be your last meal.
All hail McDonald’s Corp!
My God. The iconic Golden Arches. They’re magnificent. McDonald’s Corp [MCD] is so massive, so ubiquitous, their first signature sandwich, the Big Mac, even had its own jingle1 and every one of a certain generation knew the words:
“Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun.”
According to Schwab:
McDonald’s Corporation owns, operates, and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, frozen desserts, sundaes, soft serve cones, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions. The company owns and operates franchised restaurants under various structures, including conventional franchise, developmental license, or affiliate. McDonald’s Corporation was founded in 1940 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
My girlfriend and I celebrated this achievement by getting Mickey D’s yesterday. I had two McDoubles and large fries. She had McNuggets, fries, and a soda. But really, it was just an excuse – it isn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence.
MCD becomes the 3rd Dividend King from the Consumer Discretionary sector and the 60th King overall. Below is a list of all the Kings in the sector and the sub-industry in which they conduct their business.
| Company | Ticker | Sub-Industry |
| Genuine Parts Co | GPC | Distributors |
| Lowe’s Companies Inc | LOW | Home Improvement Retail |
| McDonald’s Corp | MCD | Restaurants |
More Dividend Kings come from slow‑changing, cash‑rich sectors like Consumer Staples, Industrials, and Utilities because those businesses enjoy steady demand and predictable earnings across all the phases of the economic cycle. That’s what makes McDonald’s joining the list such a standout achievement: the restaurant industry is notoriously cyclical, sensitive to commodity costs, labor pressures, and shifting consumer tastes. This dividend achievement is a testament to MCD’s unmatched brand strength, operational consistency, and ability to thrive in an (sub) industry where no one else has pulled it off.
MCD has fallen 30% from its all-time high on 2026-03-02. It fell 5% in one day just a few days ago. It came in at #11 in this week’s rankings.
Though we’re not adding it to the Portfolio for the Ages at this time, it doesn’t mean it isn’t a good time to do so.
Get yourself some Mickey D’s.
- Eventually, they introduced a new, vastly simplified 5-note jingle that ends with the words “I’m lovin’ it.” And to be honest, I never cared for it. I just assumed they had to dumb things down as we moved to a more sound-bite, character-limited, tweet-based society. ↩︎