How Parkev Tatevosian, CFA’s view on $MCD changed

Let's start directly with McDonald's as the first dividend-paying stock I will highlight. McDonald's is undoubtedly the most optimistic dividend stock for me. The main reason for my optimism about McDonald's is innovation.

I believe this company will benefit from significant progress in innovation over the next three, five, and ten years. The primary driver of this innovation will be artificial intelligence.

McDonald's performance in 2026 was disappointing. The stock has dropped by more than 18%, and of course I'm disappointed because I ranked McDonald's as one of the top 10 stocks to buy this year .

My ranking of McDonald's in the top ten for 2026 appears to have been premature, as the company has faced implementation difficulties along with macroeconomic headwinds . The management team recently pushed back their estimate for when they will reach their 50,000 store goal from 2027 to 2028.