ARCO vs SBUX Stock Comparison

Arcos Dorados Holdings and Starbucks Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
ARCO Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.
$7.03 -2.9% 1M -2.4% 1Y
Market cap
$1.47B
P/E
6.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.98B
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
6 wins
SBUX Starbucks Corp
$102.69 +8.3% 1M +19.3% 1Y
Market cap
$116.07B
P/E
58.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$38.34B
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Arcos Dorados Holdings leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Arcos Dorados Holdings 6, Starbucks 5). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionARCOSBUXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.47B $116.07B SBUX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 6.0x 58.5x ARCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 8.5x 41.7x ARCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.8% +4.5% ARCO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.9% 5.2% SBUX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 18.1% 31.4% SBUX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 2.1x ARCO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.4% +19.3% SBUX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.1%/yr -2.0%/yr ARCO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 38.8% 27.6% SBUX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 72/100 34/100 ARCO

Percentile Scorecard

ARCOSBUX

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisARCOSBUX
Valuation 94 #4 of 50 6 #47 of 50
Growth 85 #8 of 47 17 #39 of 47
Profitability 62 #18 of 46 69 #15 of 46
Financial Health 48 #27 of 51 42 #30 of 51
Shareholder Returns 72 #10 of 33 34 #22 of 33
Overall 72 34
  • ARCO ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • SBUX ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodARCOSBUXSPY
1 month -2.9%+8.3% -0.8%
3 months -15.4%-0.9% +3.5%
6 months -21.4%+4.9% +7.0%
Year to date -4.2%+21.9% +12.2%
1 year -2.4%+19.3% +13.0%
3 years -22.9%+11.6% +86.3%
3 years, per year -8.3%+3.7% +23.1%
5 years +47.4%-9.5% +68.6%
5 years, per year +8.1%-2.0% +11.0%
10 years +15.6%+91.5% +258.0%
10 years, per year +1.5%+6.7% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureARCOSBUXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 38.8%27.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 36.4%25.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.920.53 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.060.70 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.0%-40.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.0%-5.4% -1.8%
52-week high $9.50$108.55 $779.14
52-week low $6.91$79.60 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleARCOSBUX
P/E now vs peer median 6.0xmedian 20.5x 59.0xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.3xmedian 1.1x 3.1xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 4.1xmedian 13.3x 27.3xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 23.7xmedian 17.5x 32.1xmedian 17.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 3.1x -15.3xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 0.44median 1.07 -3.07median 1.07

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsARCOSBUX
Revenue $4.98B $38.34B
Gross profit $4.89B –
Operating income $327.73M $2.98B
Net income $256.75M $1.98B
Free cash flow $62.51M $3.64B
EPS (diluted) $1.17 $1.73
Cash & equivalents $259.99M $3.45B
Total debt $4.13B $13.28B
Shares (diluted) 210.66M 1.14B
Enterprise value $259.27M $103.69B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricARCOSBUX
P/E 6.0x 59.0x
P/FCF 23.7x 32.1x
P/Operating cash flow 4.1x 23.5x
P/S 0.3x 3.1x
P/B 1.8x -15.3x
P/Tangible book 1.8x -14.9x
EV/EBITDA 4.1x 27.3x
EV/EBIT 6.7x 42.6x
EV/Revenue 0.4x 3.3x
EV/FCF 35.2x 34.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 6.1x 25.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.44 -3.07

Growth

14 metrics
MetricARCOSBUX
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.8% 4.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.8% 3.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 10.7% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.8% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 12.9% -24.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.4% -17.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 97.3% -24.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.4% -19.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 88.7% -24.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.7% -19.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 38.8% 1.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.6% -1.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 156.0% 61.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -24.4% 6.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricARCOSBUX
Gross margin 98.1% –
EBITDA margin 10.8% 12.1%
Operating margin 6.6% 7.8%
Pretax margin 6.7% 8.0%
Net margin 4.9% 5.2%
FCF margin 1.3% 9.5%
Operating cash flow margin 7.3% 13.0%
Return on equity 30.6% –
Return on assets 6.4% 6.7%
Return on invested capital 18.1% 31.4%
Return on capital employed 10.9% 15.3%
Asset turnover 1.3x 1.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 2.5x
Stock comp / revenue – 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricARCOSBUX
Debt / assets 25.5% 46.9%
Debt / equity 1.2x -1.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 2.1x
Debt / FCF 15.9x 3.6x
Liabilities / assets 78.6% 127.1%
Equity / assets 21.4% -27.1%
Interest coverage 24.5x 5.4x
Current ratio 0.9x 0.8x
Quick ratio 0.6x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 2.12 3.13

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricARCOSBUX
Dividend yield 3.8% 2.4%
Net buyback yield – -0.1%
Shareholder yield 3.8% 2.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusARCOSBUX
Forward P/E 8.5xFY2026 41.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.83FY2026 $2.46FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -17.8%FY2026 +15.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -4.8% +21.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.14BFY2026 $35.66BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.9%FY2026 -4.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.2% +5.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersARCOSBUX
Held by institutions 45.3% 85.6%
Institutions holding 174 2,399
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.8% +4.9%
Institutions buying 93 1,096
Institutions selling 45 991
Buyers to sellers 2.07 1.11

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ARCOSBUX
ARCO 1.00 0.17
SBUX 0.17 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ARCO and SBUX?

Starbucks (SBUX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) $1.47B, Starbucks (SBUX) $116.07B.

Which stock is cheaper, ARCO and SBUX?

Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 6.0x, Starbucks (SBUX) 58.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) is cheapest (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 8.5x, Starbucks (SBUX) 41.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) +10.8%, Starbucks (SBUX) +4.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Starbucks (SBUX) has the highest net margin (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 4.9%, Starbucks (SBUX) 5.2%). On return on invested capital, Starbucks (SBUX) leads (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 18.1%, Starbucks (SBUX) 31.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Starbucks (SBUX) returned the most: Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) -2.4%, Starbucks (SBUX) +19.3%. Over five years, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) compounded fastest (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) +8.1%/yr, Starbucks (SBUX) -2.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Starbucks (SBUX) has been the steadiest (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 38.8%, Starbucks (SBUX) 27.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do ARCO and SBUX move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.17, a weak relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, ARCO and SBUX?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.