Skip to content

MCD

S&P 500
Favorable · 64/100

McDonald's

Consumer Discretionary
Restaurants

$270.10

3.1%

Updated Today 6:01 PM ET

Price — Past Year

▼ Down 3.8% over the last 12 months

Price 50-day average 200-day averageSource: Yahoo Finance · refreshed daily
Key Metrics

Market Cap

$197.95B

P/E

22.83x

Forward P/E (est.)

21.34x

ROE

95.1%

Revenue Growth

6.8%

EPS Growth

7.0%

Profit Margin

31.6%

FCF Yield

4.9%

Debt / Equity

3.4x

ROIC

25.0%

Interest Coverage

7.83x

Current Ratio

1.14x

Dividend Yield

2.6%

Implied Growth (rev. DCF)

5.2%

Rating Score

64/100

Technical Analysis (Educational)
Research

Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what MCD's chart says today, with each tool explained.

Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. MCD trades near $270.10, below its 50-day average ($287.10) and 200-day average ($305.29). Price below both averages is a downtrend — momentum is against buyers for now.

Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 49 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.

MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.

Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. MCD's is $5.36 (~2.0% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.

Support & resistance. Over the last month MCD found buyers near $271.85 (support) and sellers near $289.29 (resistance); its 52-week range is $271.85–$341.75. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.

Volume. The latest session traded 1.8× the 20-day average — heavier than usual, which adds conviction to the move. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.

Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.

Business Overview
Research

McDonald's (MCD) is a large-cap company in the Restaurants industry, part of the Consumer Discretionary sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $197.95B.

In its latest reported year it generated about $26.89B in revenue and $8.56B in net profit.

Our model rates MCD Favorable (64/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.

Revenue Growth
Research

4Y CAGR

3.7%

Revenue moved from $23.22B in 2021 to $26.89B in 2025, a 3.7% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a steady 6.8% year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.

Profitability
Research

Gross Margin

57.4%

Operating Margin

46.1%

Net Margin

31.9%

ROE

95.1%

McDonald's keeps about 31.6% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 57.4% gross margin and 46.1% operating margin. Return on equity is 95.1% and return on invested capital about 25.0%. Margins this wide usually signal pricing power or a cost advantage.

Debt Analysis
Research

Total Debt

$39.97B

Net Debt

$38.80B

Net Debt / EBITDA

3.13x

Debt / Equity

3.4x

Leverage: debt-to-equity is 3.4x, and operating profit covers interest about 7.8x, with a current ratio of 1.1x. That is elevated leverage, which raises risk if earnings or rates move against it. It carries roughly $39.97B of total debt against $1.17B of cash.

Cash Flow Analysis
Research

Operating CF

$10.55B

Free Cash Flow

$7.19B

FCF Margin

26.7%

In the latest year McDonald's produced about $10.55B of operating cash flow and $7.19B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 4.9% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.

Valuation Analysis
Research

P/E

22.83x

P/S

7.61x

P/B

14.81x

EV / EBITDA

18.94x

MCD trades at 22.8x trailing earnings (about 21.3x on estimated forward earnings), 7.6x sales, and 14.8x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 5.2% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a fairly typical valuation for a profitable company.

Metrics vs. Typical Range

Where this stock sits versus what most companies trade at.

TTM P/E
22.8xFair
Forward P/E
21.3xFair
P/S ratio
7.6xExpensive
Revenue growth
6.8%Strong
EPS growth
7.0%Weak
Gross margin
57.4%Strong
Net margin
31.6%Strong
ROE
95.1%Strong

Typical ranges are general references (e.g., many stocks trade at ~18–26x earnings), not hard rules. Context only — not investment advice.

Sector Peer Comparison

How MCD stacks up against its Consumer Discretionary peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.

In the Consumer Discretionary sector (48 S&P 500 companies), MCD ranks #12 of 48 by our overall rating. It trades at roughly in line versus the sector on earnings (22.8x P/E vs. 23.7x median) with a higher return on equity (95.1% vs. 39.2%) and faster revenue growth (6.8% vs. 6.2%).

P/E vs sector

22.8x

median 23.7x

ROE vs sector

95.1%

median 39.2%

Growth vs sector

6.8%

median 6.2%

Sector rank

#12

of 48 by rating

CompanyP/ERev Gr.Rating
MCDThis stock22.8x6.8%Favorable· 64
SBUX76x5.8%Weak· 29
YUM23.6x9.7%Favorable· 63
CMG29.4x5.7%Neutral· 55
DRI22.3x8.5%Neutral· 55
DPZ17.6x5.2%Neutral· 57
TJX31.3x8.1%Favorable· 58
BKNG21.6x14.9%Favorable· 68
Consumer Discretionary median23.7x6.2%54/100

Valuation vs. quality map

sector medianSBUXYUMCMGDRIDPZTJXBKNGMCDP/E — cheaper ←→ pricierROE — more profitable ↑

The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.

Compare side by side

Peers are the closest Consumer Discretionary companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 48 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.

5-Year Projection Model

Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.

2030 price target (Base Case)

$237.76$390.61

vs. $270.10 today · expected CAGR -3%8%

Metric20262027202820292030
Revenue$28.77B$30.78B$32.94B$35.24B$37.71B
Net income$9.21B$9.85B$10.54B$11.28B$12.07B
EPS$12.96$13.86$14.83$15.87$16.98
Share price (low)$181.39$194.08$207.67$222.21$237.76
Share price (high)$297.99$318.85$341.17$365.05$390.61
CAGR (low–high)-33% / 10%-15% / 9%-8% / 8%-5% / 8%-3% / 8%

Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.

Bull Case

The case for MCD:

  • High net margins (31.6%) point to pricing power or efficiency.
  • Strong return on equity (95.1%) shows capital is put to work well.
  • Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~4.9%) funds buybacks and dividends.
  • Pays a 2.6% dividend on top of any price gains.
  • Our model's overall read is Favorable (64/100).
Bear Case

The case against MCD:

  • Elevated leverage (debt/equity 3.4x) adds financial risk.
  • Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Key Risks
Research

Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 3.4x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.

Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.

Investment Thesis
Research

On balance, the fundamentals screen favourably: McDonald's is a large-cap consumer discretionary business growing at a mature pace, with solid profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 22.8x earnings, which our model scores Favorable (64/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.

Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.

Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.