McDonald's Corp. Stock , MCD

Kroc would eventually buy the company from the original founders, brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald, for $2.7 million in 1961. That’s the equivalent of $22 million in today’s dollars—still a tiny fraction of McDonald’s $100 billion+ market cap today.

In 1963, there were 500 McDonald’s restaurants operating nationwide and the chain sold its one billionth hamburger. It still wasn’t a public company.

McDonald’s Corporation went public on April 21 1965, it’s 10th anniversary. Stock was sold at $22.50 per share. After the first day of trading, Mcdonald’s stock price had soared to $30 per share.

There have been 12 stock splits for McDonald’s throughout the decades, meaning that 100 shares purchased at the IPO price would have been 74,360 shares worth over $5.7 million.

Before the end of the 1960’s McDonald’s had expanded to all 50 U.S. states through agile product shifts, like the Filet-O-Fish, which was developed for Catholic after Ray Kroc noticed a significant drop off in burger sales during Friday’s of lent (when practicing Catholics traditionally do not eat meat).

The chain went international in 1967, opening its first restaurants abroad in Canada in Puerto Rico. Today there are McDonald’s restaurants in over 115 countries around the world, according to the company’s website.

In 1968, the Big Mac was introduced. Fast food would never be the same. But it was only the start for McDonald’s fast food innovation.

McDonald’s pioneered the breakfast fast food segment when the Egg Muffin made its debut in 1972. It was a hit in test markets like New York City, leading to a full rollout of McDonald’s breakfast nationwide three years later.

McDonald’s stock fared well throughout the next 20 years, rising almost constantly up until the stock market crash and subsequent recession of the early 1990’s.

After a peak of $38.37 in November of 1999, McDonald’s stock price would not rise above that number for eight years until 2007. After weathering the financial crisis of 2008 relatively well, McDonald’s stock would rise again until the early 2010’s, when trouble was in store.

Breakfast to the rescue. Again.

After years of an up-and-down stock price, McDonald’s needed anything to show investors growth once again. So in 2015, McDonald’s rolled out all-day breakfast to smashing success.

McDonald’s stock price went once again on a roll (or a McMuffin?) thanks to the menu shift, and hit new all time highs. In 2017 McDonald’s stock price was at a record price of over $150.