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McDonald’s CEO says consumer spending could be ‘getting a little bit worse’

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McDonald’s CEO says consumer spending could be ‘getting a little bit worse’


McDonald’s on Thursday reported quarterly earnings and revenue that beat analysts’ expectations, as diners spend more at its U.S. restaurants even in what CEO Chris Kempczinski called “a challenging environment.”

Shares of the company initially rose more than 3% in premarket trading, but the stock lost some of those gains as executives raised new concerns about the current consumer environment. The shares were slightly higher in morning trading.

“I think probably it’s fair to say that … it’s certainly not improving, and it may be getting a little bit worse,” Kempczinski said on the company’s earnings conference call. “Our focus is on what we can control, and on that score, I feel very good about the balance of the year.”

Higher prices at the gas pump, caused by the U.S. war with Iran, are adding to the list of reasons for declining spending from low-income consumers.

“Clearly, when you have elevated gas prices, which is the core issue that I think we’re all seeing about in the press right now, gas prices, inflation on that, that is going to disproportionately impact low-income consumers,” Kempczinski said. “And so we expect the pressures there are going to continue.”

Other restaurant companies, from Domino’s Pizza to Chipotle Mexican Grill, have reported that sales softened in March after the conflict began. McDonald’s is hoping that its strong value offerings will help it steal more market share from rival restaurant chains, even as consumers broadly dine out less frequently.

Here’s what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

  • Earnings per share: $2.83 adjusted vs. $2.74 expected
  • Revenue: $6.52 billion vs. $6.47 billion expected

McDonald’s reported first-quarter net income of $1.98 billion, or $2.78 per share, up from $1.87 billion, or $2.60 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding restructuring charges and other items, the chain earned $2.83 per share.

Net revenue rose 9% to $6.52 billion.

The company’s same-store sales increased 3.8% in the quarter, roughly in line with Wall Street consensus estimates of 3.7%, according to StreetAccount.

In McDonald’s home market, same-store sales climbed 3.9%, fueled by customers spending more when they visited.

While the fast-food giant has leaned into value to win over budget-conscious diners, it has also been trying to appeal to customers through marketing and innovation, usually at a slightly higher price point. Tie-in meals with “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “KPop Demon Hunters” weren’t discounted. And its limited-time, supersized Big Arch burger, which launched in early March in the U.S., aimed to provide a premium burger option.

One area of McDonald’s U.S. business disappointed executives: its company-owned restaurants. Those locations, which account for less than 5% of its total U.S. footprint, have been seeing weaker margins, so McDonald’s is considering selling them to franchisees.

The company’s international operated markets segment also reported same-store sales growth of 3.9%. The division includes some of McDonald’s biggest markets, including France, Germany and Australia.

McDonald’s international developmental licensed markets segment saw same-store sales grow 3.4%. Japan was the division’s top performer in the first quarter.

Looking ahead to the second quarter, McDonald’s is expecting weaker sales as it laps tough comparisons to the year-ago period, when it released a tie-in meal with the “Minecraft” movie. CFO Ian Borden said McDonald’s was already anticipating a deceleration from the first quarter, even before consumer sentiment weakened.

“Obviously, with the difficult April comp now behind us, we’re confident in our underlying momentum, driven by what Chris was just talking about, the strength of value and affordability, which we think we’ve really got right,” Borden said.



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Peloton stock rises as higher subscription prices help company drive a profitable quarter

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Peloton stock rises as higher subscription prices help company drive a profitable quarter


Peloton posted fiscal third-quarter results Thursday that beat Wall Street expectations on revenue and revealed a narrow profit for the first three months of the year.

The company touted better-than-expected equipment sales and subscription revenue as helping to drive its sales and profitability, with free cash flow up nearly 60%.

Shares of Peloton closed the day roughly 8% higher after being as high as 13% following the report.

“The first order of business in earnings is reporting how you did financially, and we feel like that was a pretty good quarter in terms of where we are strategically,” CEO Peter Stern told CNBC.

Here’s how the company performed in its quarter ended March 31, compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

  • Earnings per share: 6 cents vs. 7 cents expected
  • Revenue: $630.9 million vs. $617.6 million expected

The company’s net income for the quarter was $26.4 million, or 6 cents per share, up from a loss of $47.7 million, or 12 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Sales came in at $630.9 million, up roughly 1% from $624 million a year earlier.

For the full fiscal year, Peloton said it projects total revenue of between $2.42 billion and $2.44 billion, lifting the lower end of the guidance range it provided last quarter.

The company saw revenue for its connected fitness subscriptions come in at $202.9 million, down from $205.5 million a year prior, but beating estimates of $196 million, according to StreetAccount. Subscription revenue also topped estimates and grew 2% year over year, reaching $428 million.

Paid connected fitness subscriber count, however, fell year over year to 2.66 million.

“Some of the vectors that are at play this quarter, and will be in the future, are selling additional equipment to our existing members,” Stern said on a call with analysts. “That doesn’t generate more subscriptions, but it does generate revenue.”

The connected fitness company has been struggling with weak performance and sluggish sales, previously projecting that performance to extend into this quarter. It’s tried to revamp its product assortment and recently raised prices on both its equipment and subscription plans.

Stern said Peloton feels its pricing changes were appropriate.

“We’re really sensitive to the fact that people feel stress in this economic environment, and it’s impacting different people in really different ways,” Stern told CNBC. “That being said, we feel like the price changes that we made in Q2 – it was time. We had added a tremendous amount of value over the succeeding three or four years since we previously made any change in our subscription prices.”

Peloton has also been inking new partnerships and trying new strategies to win back customers. Last month, Peloton announced a deal with Spotify, making more than 1,400 Peloton classes available to Spotify Premium subscribers. It also launched its first Bike and Tread products for high-traffic gym floors in March.

Stern added that the company had already factored the Spotify deal into its revenue guidance because it had been in the works for “a long time.” Peloton also does not count Spotify users toward its subscribers.

“We’re really excited about our deal with Spotify, that allows us to reach Peloton members in a lot more countries and is also a high-margin revenue [stream] for us,” Stern said.

On a call with analysts on Thursday, Stern said Peloton now expects tariffs to represent roughly $30 million of free cash flow exposure for the full year, down from a previous expectation of $45 million.

“I was very pleased that we were able to deliver a Q3 with positive revenue growth, and while we won’t see that likely sustain in Q4 based on our implied guidance for the quarter, I think we’re now in a stage where hopefully we’ll see some steps forward and some steps back as we right the ship,” Stern said.



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Trai proposes stricter complaint rules for telcos; penalties may go up to Rs 50 lakh per quarter – The Times of India

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Trai proposes stricter complaint rules for telcos; penalties may go up to Rs 50 lakh per quarter – The Times of India


Telecom regulator Trai on Thursday proposed a stronger consumer grievance redressal framework for telecom operators, including penalties of up to Rs 50 lakh per quarter for improper handling or disposal of customer complaints, PTI reported.The proposed Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulation, 2026 aims to make complaint registration and tracking more transparent and accessible for telecom subscribers.Under the draft rules, telecom operators will be required to provide clear complaint registration facilities through their websites, mobile applications and chatbots, along with regular status updates on grievances raised by consumers.The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said that if audits find complaints or appeals were improperly dismissed or unsatisfactorily resolved, financial disincentives would be imposed on service providers.According to the draft regulation, telecom companies could face a penalty of Rs 1,000 for every improperly dismissed or poorly handled complaint.For improper disposal of appeals, the penalty would rise to Rs 5,000 per violation.“Provided that the maximum amount of financial disincentive payable by a service provider shall not exceed rupees fifty lakhs per quarter for the licensed/authorised service area,” the draft regulation stated.Trai has also proposed that consumers should be able to register complaints, appeals, service requests and queries through digital platforms with options to upload additional details through text or voice notes.“In case the consumer prefers to give additional information or in the absence of suitable options, the app/portal shall further provide an option for the complainant to share the details of their issue by entering text or via voice note,” the draft said.The regulator further proposed mandatory updates on complaint status, action taken and estimated timelines for resolution through the app or portal interface until final closure of the grievance.Trai also suggested that all telecom operators create a prominently displayed ‘Consumer Corner’ on their websites containing details of complaint centres, appellate authorities, consumer satisfaction surveys and quarterly performance reports.The regulator has invited stakeholder comments on the draft regulation by June 5.



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Used car prices fall for the first time this year and EV interest rises as gas prices spike

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Used car prices fall for the first time this year and EV interest rises as gas prices spike


Customers browse in a used car lot in Glendale, California, Feb. 15, 2023.

Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty Images

DETROIT — Used car prices fell in April for the first time since October as gas prices rose amid the Iran war.

Cox Automotive’s Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index — which tracks prices of used vehicles sold at its U.S. wholesale auctions — decreased 1.6% last month compared with March and was up 1.8% compared with the same month a year earlier.

Cox said affordability remains a key concern for buyers and that concern is driving increased demand for older vehicles and all-electric vehicles at Manheim auctions.

Gas prices at the end of April were up $1.12 per gallon compared with a year earlier to a national average of $4.30 a gallon, according to AAA. They’ve continued to rise since, with the national average hitting $4.56 as of Thursday.

“The conflict in the Middle East has now been ongoing for two months, and while energy prices backed off a bit in mid-April, they have reaccelerated to the upside: the price of gas just hit a high for the year and is up 47% since the end of February,” Cox Automotive chief economist Jeremy Robb said in a release. “Those higher prices are soaking up a lot of the extra money in consumers’ pockets, and currently there’s no end in sight.”

Retail prices for consumers traditionally follow changes in wholesale prices, which Cox forecasts to rise at a historically stable rate of about 2% this year. The average listed price of a used vehicle was $25,390 as of March, according to Cox. That was up roughly $100 from February.

The average listing price for a used EV remains more than $9,200 higher than the overall market, but new and used vehicle retailers have said the rapid rise in gas prices has led to higher EV sales following a slowdown after the end of federal incentives last year by the Trump administration.

Manheim’s electric vehicle index was up 7.2% year over year and up 1.4% from March.

The report of April’s lower pricing follows a strong start to the spring selling season, fueled by many consumers spending higher tax refunds to purchase or finance used vehicles, Cox said.

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