McDonald's has reported a sharp rise in quarterly earnings after recording a large gain for last year's spinoff of the Chipotle Mexican Grill chain.
Fourth-quarter net profit was $1.24 billion, or $1 per share, compared with $608.5m, or 48 cents a share, a year ago.
McDonald's has been improving results since implementing an aggressive turnaround strategy in 2003 that included adding higher-priced menu items such as salads and chicken sandwiches.
For the year, McDonald's said it earned $3.5 billion, or $2.83 per share, a 36% from last year. For 2006, the company had $21.6 billion in revenue.
