Investopedia: Sysco's Reputation Seems More Durable Than Its Growth

When a stock holds enduring favor with a patient investor base and the stock is part of a sector that has enjoyed a big upswing in investor interest, that can be a powerful combination. That's about the only explanation that makes sense to me as to why Sysco (NYSE:SYY) shares are up more than 20% over the past year despite slowing sales and difficulties/delays in reducing operating costs. While Sysco remains a very good company, it's harder today for me to make the argument that it's an equally good stock.

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Investopedia: Sonic Still In A Tricky Spot

Try as it might, drive-in quick service restaurant (QSR) Sonic (Nasdaq:SONC) just can't seem to get everything working at top form in its business model. While the company has an innovative (some might say “quirky”) menu that really does stand out from the offerings at McDonald's (NYSE:MCD), Burger King (NYSE:BKW), and Wendy's (NYSE:WEN), and has looked to refine its promotional activity and value-priced offerings, the company has made only modest progress in terms of growth.

As it stands today, analyst expectations on Sonic are pretty bifurcated. There's a small group that believe that Sonic will regain its growth momentum and do significantly better from here, while the larger group is more pessimistic and calls for Sonic to basically bump along as it has for some time now. While these shares have been strong over the past year and have recently broken out to a multi-year high, further gains could well be in store if the optimists are right.

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Investopedia: McDonald's Seems Back On Track, But Not Cheap

Even some of the best-run companies in the world can make mistakes. McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) started 2012 betting on a turn in the economy and consumer sentiment, and tried to move customers up-market from its value offerings. That didn't work, and the stock lagged for the year. While McDonald's has retrenched around value and continues to deliver impressive profits, investors' perennial support for this company rarely allows it to get very cheap.

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Investopedia: Middleby Not On The Value Menu

I've followed restaurant and food service equipment provider Middleby (Nasdaq:MIDD) for a long time now, and the stock has never been what a value investor would call "cheap." That's unfortunate, as this is an uncommonly interesting growth story in a segment of the market where growth investors don't often go shopping. While I would not chase this stock, I would recommend that investors keep it on a watch list and take advantage if and when a pullback comes around.

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Investopedia: Wendy's In For A Long Hard Road

It's hard enough to make hay competing against well-run businesses like McDonald's (NYSE:MCD), and it's not made any easier by the intense price and brand competition that goes with the restaurant industry. What makes matters even worse for Wendy's (Nasdaq:WEN) is that the company is trying to establish itself as a "premium quick service restaurant (QSR)" in a market that just doesn't seem to want to pay premium prices for hamburgers and quirky sides like baked potatoes.

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http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2012/Wendys-In-For-A-Long-Hard-Road--WEN-MCD-CMG-YUM0509.aspx

Seeking Alpha: McDonald's Looks Vulnerable To Indigestion

The trouble with great businesses is that they give investors so few chances to buy in at discounts to fair value, and that's the problem with McDonald's (MCD) today. While there's no reason to think that the company's share gains or excellent margins will abate, the Street already has baked in exceptional performance for many years to come. Even with this restaurant's consistent record of surpassing expectations, it looks like a bad setup for new investors.

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McDonald's Looks Vulnerable To Indigestion

Investopedia: Burger King Coming Back To The Market

Investors hankering to own a piece of Burger King apparently won't have to worry about a long wait. While this well-known fast food chain was taken private less than two years ago, it looks the company's current owners are going to pursuing a listing once again on the NYSE. Given the ongoing performance problems, though, investors may want to let others take the first bites.

A Quick Turnaround, Minus the Turnaround 
Investors would do well to ask themselves why 3G Capital is in such a hurry to put Burger King back on the public market. After all, private equity investors aren't really known for being especially generous when it comes to sharing in the success of a really good idea. The company recently announced a merger with Justice Holdings (OTCBB:JSTUF), an investment vehicle co-founded by Bill Ackman and publicly listed in London. As part of the merger, 3G Capital gets $1.4 billion in cash and maintains its majority position, but will also list the combined company on the NYSE.

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