By Christiana Sciaudone
Investing.com -- The jury may still be out on who is winning the chicken sandwich wars, but McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) version appears to be pretty popular.
Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) reiterated a buy rating on the stock after foot traffic and other web data show the Feb. 24 launch of its new crispy chicken sandwich will lead to better-than-expected sales. Extended European lockdowns, however, may offset the embrace of the new sandwich in the U.S. Shares are little changed as the broader market remains lower.
McDonald's entered the chicken wars in force in late February with three versions of a white-meat sandwich. The battle began with Popeyes introducing a similar offer in 2019, which was followed by Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN), Taco Bell, Shake Shack (NYSE:SHAK), etc.
Unfortunately for McDonald's, Chick-Fil-A takes the cake as the best chicken sandwich of 2021, according to Fast Food Menu Prices, which ranked two of McD's chicken sandwiches in 17th and 18th places, saying you only really order McD's because it's cheap, you're hungry and it's there, or you choose the grilled version because it's "healthy."
In any case, Jefferies analyst Andy Barish said that while the first quarter may have tougher comparisons because of the EU, year-long results should be solid, StreetInsider said.