McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) is down for the last week and month of market action (chart below_.

Like other blue chips such as ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), investors should look upon any dips in the share price of McDonald’s as an opportunity to accumulate a position at a discount.  As with WalMart and ExxonMobil, there is much about McDonald’s that makes it suitable for any portfolio.  It has a position in the global economy that will produce solid returns.

McDonald’s is a steady growth.

It will never deliver huge growth numbers.  That is due to its size (market capitalization of around $100 billion.  But, like ExxonMobil and WalMart, it will continue to grow steadily.  Over the next five years, earnings-per-share growth for McDonald’s is expected to average 7.15 percent by the Wall Street analyst community.

While not having large growth forecasts McDonald’s does have a big profit margin.

The average profit margin for a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (NYSE: SPY) is around 8-10 percent.  For McDonald’s, the profit margin is nearly 20 percent.  That is a very appealing indicator as it is still about profits in the bottom line.

Along with its profit margin, the dividend yield of McDonald’s tops that of the Standard & Poo’s 500 Index, too.

The average dividend yield for a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is just under 2 percent.  The dividend yield for McDonald’s is about 3.2 percent.  Like WalMart and ExxonMobil, McDonald’s is a dividend aristocrat.  That means it has a history of increasing its dividend every year.  Those who own the stock of McDonald’s get a raise every year in the dividend just for being an owner!

Combined, those factors should result in profits ahead for McDonald’s shareholders.  The stock is now around $100 a share.  The mean analyst target price over the next year of market action if $106.98.  Combined with the dividend, that should result in robust long term gains.