Finances

McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) released its fourth quarter and full year earnings on Monday, February 10. Despite the fast-food conglomerate posting weaker-than-expected revenue in the quarter, shares were up almost 5% following the release of the report.

The company reported revenue of $6.39 billion for the quarter. This was down from $6.41 billion in the same period last year and missed analysts’ expectations of $6.44 billion. For the full year, the company’s revenue was up 2% to $25.92 billion.

“Accelerating the Arches continues to be the right strategy as we focus on growing market share,” said McDonald’s CEO, Chris Kempczinski. “We are playing to win, focusing on our customers with outstanding value, exciting menu innovation and culturally relevant marketing.”

Net income for the quarter came in at $2.02 billion or $2.80 per adjusted share. This was nearly unchanged from $2.04 billion or $2.80 per adjusted share during the same quarter last year. For the full year, McDonald’s reported net income of $8.22 billion.

During the quarter, McDonald’s global comparable sales increased by 0.4%. U.S. comparable sales, however, decreased 1.4% due to declines in the average check partially offset by slight growth in comparable guest counts. The International Operated Markets segment saw sales increase 0.1%, driven by mixed results in comparable sales across different markets. The number of active loyalty users reached over 175 million for the quarter, an increase of approximately 15% compared to the prior year.

McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) shares ended the week at $308.55, up 2% for the week.

Coca-Cola Serves Up Earnings

Coca-Cola Company (KO) released its fourth quarter and full year earnings report on Tuesday, February 11. The shares of the soft drink company increased 5% after the release of the report that exceeded both revenue and earnings forecasts.

Coca-Cola posted net revenue of $11.54 billion for the quarter. This is up 6% from $10.85 billion in revenue reported at the same time last year and above expectations of $10.67 billion. For the full year, the company reported $47.06 billion in revenue, an increase from last year’s revenue of $45.75 billion.

“Our all-weather strategy is working, and we continue to demonstrate our ability to lead through dynamic external environments,” said Coca-Cola CEO, James Quincey. “Our global scale, coupled with local-market expertise and the unwavering dedication of our people and our system, uniquely position us to capture the vast opportunities ahead.”

Coca-Cola reported net income of $2.20 billion or $0.51 per diluted share for the quarter. This was up from $1.97 billion or $0.46 per diluted share in the same quarter last year. For the full year, the company’s net income was $10.63 billion.

The Atlanta-based beverage company reported growth of 2% in consolidated unit case volume for the fourth quarter attributable to growth in China, Brazil and the United States. The company’s Trademark Coca-Cola segment and sparkling soft drinks segment both grew 2% for the quarter. The company’s water, sports, coffee and tea segment also increased by 2%. The Coca-Cola Zero Sugar segment grew by 13% for the quarter. For fiscal 2025, the company expects to deliver organic revenue growth of 5% to 6%.

Coca-Cola Company (KO) shares closed at $68.87, up 7% for the week.

Cisco Announces Earnings Report

Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) announced its second quarter results on Wednesday, February 12. The global technology firm surpassed both revenue and earnings estimates, leading to a 6% increase in its stock price after the report was released.

The company’s net sales for the second quarter totaled $13.99 billion. This was up 9% from sales of $12.79 billion during the same quarter last year and above analysts’ estimates of $13.87 billion.

“Cisco's strong quarterly results were driven by accelerating customer demand for our technology,” said Cisco CEO, Chuck Robbins. “As AI becomes more pervasive, we are well positioned to help our customers scale their network infrastructure, increase their data capacity requirements, and adopt best-in-class AI security.”

Cisco reported net income of $2.43 billion or $0.61 per diluted share for the quarter. This was down from earnings during the same quarter last year of $2.63 billion or $0.65 per diluted share.

Cisco reported increases in revenue across all geographic segments. The company’s Americas segment reported a 9% increase to $8.2 billion for the quarter, and its Europe, Middle East, and Africa segment returned an increase of 11% to $3.9 billion. Sales in the Asia, Pacific, Japan and China segment rose by 8% to $1.9 billion. Product revenue in Security and Observability increased 117% and 47%, respectively, primarily due to the acquisition of cybersecurity firm Splunk. The company revised its full-year guidance for fiscal 2025 and expects revenue to be between $56.0 billion to $56.5 billion, up from previous guidance of $55.0 billion to $56.2 billion.

Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) shares ended the week at $64.87, up 3% for the week.

The Dow started the week at 44,397 and closed at 44,546 on 2/14. The S&P 500 started the week at 6,046 and closed at 6,115. The NASDAQ started the week at 19,668 and closed at 20,027.

Treasury yields varied this week as investors digested the latest economic data. Yields fell later in the week following reports that inflation remains a concern, which suggested the Federal Reserve may hold off on further rate decreases.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the consumer price index (CPI), which measures the cost of dozens of everyday consumer goods, increased 0.5% in January, higher than economists’ forecast of 0.3%. The year-over-year CPI rose to 3.0% in January, up from 2.9% in December, and surpassed economists’ projections of 2.9%.

“The long national nightmare of inflation is not over yet for consumers, businesses, and investors,” said chief economist at FWDBONDS, Christopher Rupkey. “There could be some seasonality that pushes prices up at a faster clip in January, but today the news for [Federal Reserve] officials is all bad.”

The benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield opened the week of February 10 at 4.50% and traded as high as 4.66% on Wednesday. The 30-year Treasury bond opened the week at 4.69% and traded as high as 4.86% on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that initial claims for unemployment decreased by 7,000 to 213,000 for the week ending February 8. This was below economists’ estimate of 215,000. Continuing claims fell by 36,000 to 1.85 million.

“Jobless claims on an initial basis are relatively healthy,” said lead economist at Glassdoor, Daniel Zhao. “They are similar to where we have seen them in past years, but we do see that continuing claims is a little bit higher compared to where it was last year at this point.”

The 10-year Treasury note yield finished the week of February 10 at 4.48% while the 30-year Treasury note yield finished the week at 4.70%.

Freddie Mac released its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey on Thursday, February 13. The survey indicated the 30-year fixed mortgage rate continuing to lower away from 7%.

This week, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.87%, down from last week’s average of 6.89%. Last year at this time, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.77%.

The 15-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.09% this week, up from last week’s average of 6.05%. During the same week last year, the 15-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.12%.

"The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continued to inch down this week, reaching its lowest level thus far in 2025,” said Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist, Sam Khater. "Recent mortgage rate stability is benefitting potential buyers, as purchase demand is stronger than this time last year. This is an indication that a thaw in buyer activity could be on the horizon.”

Based on published national averages, the savings rate was 0.41% as of 1/21. The one-year CD averaged 1.82%.

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