$1 sodas help boost McDonald's sales in US
By Associated Press
Jul 25, 2017 7:39 AM CDT
This Friday, March 17, 2017, photo shows the McDonald's sign outside a restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh. McDonald's Corp. reports earnings, Tuesday, July 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)   (Associated Press)

OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) — McDonald's says a promotion for $1 sodas and a new line of premium burgers helped boost sales in its flagship U.S. market.

The Oak Brook, Illinois company said Tuesday domestic sales rose 3.9 percent at established locations during the second quarter. Globally, it says sales rose 6.6 percent.

The results come as McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook has been working on modernizing the chain's menu and stores to get customers visiting more often. For the third year in a row, McDonald's is set to shrink the number of its U.S. stores, with the frequency of customer visits declining for the past four years.

Easterbrook has said McDonald's hadn't adapted as expectations around convenience has changed. The company is trying to change that by rolling out in-store ordering kiosks, expanding delivery in partnership with UberEats, and launching a mobile order-and-pay option later this year in the U.S.

While those efforts may help boost sales over the long term, the company is relying on more tried-and-true promotions like the beverage deals and new "Signature Crafted" burgers to attract customers in the short term.

For the period ended June 30, the company earned $1.4 billion, or $1.70 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were $1.73 per share, beating analysts forecast for $1.62, according to a poll by Zacks Investment Research.

Shares of McDonald's rose nearly 3 percent in premarket trading.

Total revenue at the world's biggest hamburger chain was $6.05 billion, also beating expectations.

Shares of McDonald's Corp. have climbed 25 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has risen 10 percent. The stock has climbed 18 percent in the last 12 months.

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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on MCD at https://www.zacks.com/ap/MCD

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Keywords: McDonald's, Earnings Report, Priority Earnings

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