Business news in brief

Comcast Corp. shareholders on Thursday approved the company's slate of 12 directors, the appointment of Deloitte & Touche L.L.P. as an independent auditor, and a renewed bonus plan for performance-based cash incentives. CEO Brian Roberts, who was paid $33 million in total compensation last year, presided over the cable company's annual shareholders' meeting at the Kimmel Center. Comcast's highest-paid executive was Steve Burke, the head of NBCUniversal, who earned $33.9 million through base salary, incentives and other compensation. - Bob Fernandez

More Philadelphia-area residents are expected to travel during Memorial Day weekend than have in 10 years, according to a report released Thursday by AAA Mid-Atlantic. According to AAA's first travel forecast of the summer, 433,000 area residents are projected to travel over the holiday weekend, a 4.6 percent increase over last year and the highest travel volume for the holiday weekend in a decade. Kicking off the summer driving season, nearly 390,000 area travelers (or 90 percent of all local travelers) will be driving to their destinations. The Memorial Day holiday travel period runs Thursday through next Monday. "After what sometimes felt like the longest winter on record, Philadelphia-area residents are looking forward to beginning the summer season with a trip," Jana Tidwell, a AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman said in a statement. - Linda Loyd

Mortgage rates were little changed this week on mixed news for housing, with Freddie Mac saying the average rate for 30-year conventional loans was 3.84 percent, compared with 3.85 percent a week ago. Lenders were offering 15-year fixed loans at an average of 3.05 percent, down from 3.07 percent, according to Freddie Mac, which releases its survey results each Thursday morning. The latest report showed rates also down slightly on loans that become adjustable after five years at a fixed rate. - Los Angeles Times

Whatever you call the new sector built on "platforms" that allow independent workers to find individual clients - think Uber, AirBnb, Taskrabbit, etc. - you'll probably acknowledge that it's got some drawbacks. While many of these app-based exchanges allow people to find work in ways that otherwise wouldn't be possible, there's mounting anecdotal evidence that those cumulative income streams don't generate enough to make a living. And now, there's some statistical evidence as well. This week, a group called Requests for Startups released results from a survey of 897 people who've worked with 78 different companies that fall into the "on-demand economy" bucket. The topline finding: These workers' biggest problem is making enough money. That was the most common reason for these people to drop the job they had, with 42.9 percent saying it didn't generate enough income. And part of that has to do with the fact that they just couldn't get enough work, with 49.2 percent of respondents saying lack of hours was their biggest "pain point." - Washington Post

Hewlett-Packard Co. reported fiscal second-quarter profit that exceeded analysts' estimates as corporate technology spending picked up ahead of the computer maker's planned separation into two companies. Profit before certain items was 87 cents a share in the period that ended in April, the company said Thursday in a statement. Analysts on average had projected 86 cents a share, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Hewlett-Packard's main businesses - selling servers, software and personal computers - have been weakened by the twin forces of cloud computing and mobile devices, which let corporations use less on-premise technology. The company is splitting into two entities - one selling PCs and printers, and the other supplying technology to businesses - by the end of the year, seeking to become more responsive in each market. Second-quarter sales shrank 6.8 percent to $25.5 billion, compared with analyst projections for $25.7 billion. Net income fell 21 percent to $1.01 billion from $1.27 billion a year earlier, the Palo Alto, California-based company said.

- Bloomberg News

More than 1,000 McDonald's workers protested outside the fast-food chain's corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., for the second day, calling for higher wages and the right to form a union, while the company held its annual shareholders' meeting. "We know this company spent $30 billion over the last 10 years buying back their stock and making money for their investors and shareholders, so it's clear they have enough money to pay us $15 an hour," said Terrence Wise, one of the protesters. The demonstration comes two days after the national campaign for higher wages at McDonald's, Walmart, and other large employers notched a major victory, when the Los Angeles City Council voted to increase hourly wages to $15 by 2020. - Bloomberg News

Shake Shack Inc. filed for the trademark "Chicken Shack," fueling speculation that the company will expand its burger empire into poultry. The application was filed last month by SSE IP, part of the restaurant chain's parent company, saying it was intended for "chicken sandwiches." The company currently focuses on hot dogs and hamburgers, though it does sell chicken dogs. Shake Shack, based in New York, stayed mum on the possibility of a chicken sandwich. "We constantly test new menu items in our test kitchens," the company said Thursday. "We have no new menu items to report at this time."

- Bloomberg News