Overseas Strength Boosts McDonald's February Sales

McDonald's (MCD) posted a better-than-expected 4.8% rise in February same-store sales Monday, helped by robust gains in Europe and Asia and fractional uptick in the U.S.

Same-store sales, a key retail gauge measuring sales at locations open at least a year, rose 0.6% domestically last month despite snow storms hitting much of the East. An Olympic-themed Chicken McNugget promotion, the Breakfast Dollar Menu and McCafe beverages aided results, the company said.

In Europe, same-store sales rose 5.4% for the month, led by strength in France and the U.K. As for the rest of the world, same-store sales jumped 10.5%, led by strong results in Japan, China and Australia. The celebration of Chinese New Year in many markets contributed to the month's performance, McDonald's said.

Systemwide sales, or sales at franchises and company-owned locations, rose 11.2% in February. Excluding the effects of currency exchange, sales increased 6.4% last month.

Shares in McDonald's, a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU), rose fractionally ahead of Monday's opening bell.