ARCO vs YUM vs MCD Stock Comparison

Arcos Dorados Holdings, Yum Brands and Mcdonalds 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
YUM Yum Brands Inc
$149.39 +7.8% 1M +4.2% 1Y
Market cap
$41.09B
P/E
18.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.72B
Div. yield
0.02%
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
2 wins
MCD Mcdonalds Corp
$250.84 +6.1% 1M -18.0% 1Y
Market cap
$176.83B
P/E
20.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$27.70B
Div. yield
0.03%
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Arcos Dorados Holdings leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Arcos Dorados Holdings 6, Mcdonalds 4, Yum Brands 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionARCOYUMMCDLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.47B $41.09B $176.83B MCD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 6.0x 18.5x 20.1x ARCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 8.5x 23.8x 18.9x ARCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.8% +10.3% +6.3% ARCO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.9% 25.4% 31.7% MCD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 18.1% 54.9% 25.9% YUM
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 3.9x 2.6x ARCO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.03% MCD
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.4% +4.2% -18.0% YUM
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.1%/yr +3.5%/yr +0.7%/yr ARCO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 38.8% 25.5% 19.9% MCD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 72/100 52/100 50/100 ARCO

Percentile Scorecard

ARCOYUMMCD

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

AxisARCOYUMMCD
Valuation 94 #4 of 50 20 #40 of 50 18 #41 of 50
Growth 85 #8 of 47 65 #17 of 47 39 #29 of 47
Profitability 62 #18 of 46 98 #2 of 46 100 #1 of 46
Financial Health 48 #27 of 51 16 #43 of 51 44 #29 of 51
Shareholder Returns 72 #10 of 33 63 #13 of 33 47 #18 of 33
Overall 72 52 50
  • ARCO ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • YUM ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • MCD ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodARCOYUMMCDSPY
1 month -2.9%+7.8%+6.1% -0.8%
3 months -15.4%+1.1%-7.3% +3.5%
6 months -21.4%-3.7%-13.6% +7.0%
Year to date -4.2%-1.2%-17.9% +12.2%
1 year -2.4%+4.2%-18.0% +13.0%
3 years -22.9%+25.1%-1.9% +86.3%
3 years, per year -8.3%+7.7%-0.6% +23.1%
5 years +47.4%+18.8%+3.3% +68.6%
5 years, per year +8.1%+3.5%+0.7% +11.0%
10 years +15.6%+142.4%+123.7% +258.0%
10 years, per year +1.5%+9.3%+8.4% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureARCOYUMMCDSPY
Volatility, 1Y 38.8%25.5%19.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 36.4%25.0%20.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.920.01-0.01 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.060.17-0.90 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -50.0%-24.2%-32.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.0%-11.2%-26.5% -1.8%
52-week high $9.50$168.16$341.06 $779.14
52-week low $6.91$135.80$230.86 $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.

MultipleARCOYUMMCD
P/E now vs peer median 6.0xmedian 20.5x 18.5xmedian 20.5x 20.2xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.3xmedian 1.1x 4.7xmedian 1.1x 6.4xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 4.1xmedian 13.3x 17.8xmedian 13.3x 14.4xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 23.7xmedian 17.5x 24.3xmedian 17.5x 24.0xmedian 17.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.8xmedian 3.1x -5.7xmedian 3.1x -173.5xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 0.44median 1.07 1.07median 1.07 4.71median 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 monthsARCOYUMMCD
Revenue $4.98B $8.72B $27.70B
Gross profit $4.89B $5.94B $24.86B
Operating income $327.73M $2.70B $12.80B
Net income $256.75M $2.22B $8.79B
Free cash flow $62.51M $1.68B $7.39B
EPS (diluted) $1.17 $8.00 $12.36
Cash & equivalents $259.99M $674.00M $822.00M
Total debt $4.13B $12.28B $162.65B
Shares (diluted) 210.66M 277.00M 711.10M
Enterprise value $259.48M $37.98B $171.65B

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
MetricARCOYUMMCD
P/E 6.0x 18.5x 20.2x
P/FCF 23.7x 24.3x 24.0x
P/Operating cash flow 4.1x 19.6x 15.6x
P/S 0.3x 4.7x 6.4x
P/B 1.8x -5.7x -173.5x
P/Tangible book 1.8x -5.2x -173.5x
EV/EBITDA 4.1x 17.8x 14.4x
EV/EBIT 6.7x 19.4x 16.9x
EV/Revenue 0.4x 6.0x 7.8x
EV/FCF 35.2x 31.2x 29.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 6.1x 25.1x 19.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.44 1.07 4.71

Growth

14 metrics
MetricARCOYUMMCD
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.8% 10.3% 6.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.8% 7.7% 4.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 10.7% 6.5% 5.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.8% 4.3% 4.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 12.9% 10.5% 7.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 3.4% 6.8% 5.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 97.3% 54.8% 4.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 15.4% 16.0% 3.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 88.7% 57.1% 5.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.7% 17.3% 4.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 38.8% 13.6% 15.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.6% 9.6% 9.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 156.0% 9.5% 18.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -24.4% 9.5% 8.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricARCOYUMMCD
Gross margin 98.1% 68.1% 89.7%
EBITDA margin 10.8% 33.7% 54.4%
Operating margin 6.6% 31.0% 46.2%
Pretax margin 6.7% 25.2% 40.4%
Net margin 4.9% 25.4% 31.7%
FCF margin 1.3% 19.3% 26.7%
Operating cash flow margin 7.3% 23.9% 40.9%
Return on equity 30.6% – –
Return on assets 6.4% 26.2% 14.6%
Return on invested capital 18.1% 54.9% 25.9%
Return on capital employed 10.9% 65.1% 22.9%
Asset turnover 1.3x 1.0x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 0.9x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.8% 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricARCOYUMMCD
Debt / assets 25.5% 141.4% 66.5%
Debt / equity 1.2x -1.7x -39.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.3x 3.9x 2.6x
Debt / FCF 15.9x 7.3x 5.4x
Liabilities / assets 78.6% 181.9% 101.7%
Equity / assets 21.4% -81.9% -1.7%
Interest coverage 24.5x – 7.9x
Current ratio 0.9x 0.6x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.6x 0.3x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 2.12 2.24 4.60

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricARCOYUMMCD
Dividend yield 3.8% 2.0% 3.0%
Net buyback yield – 2.2% 1.2%
Shareholder yield 3.8% 4.2% 4.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 36.4% 59.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 48.1% 70.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 4.8% 4.6%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 6.9% 6.3%

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.

ConsensusARCOYUMMCD
Forward P/E 8.5xFY2026 23.8xFY2026 18.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.83FY2026 $6.29FY2026 $13.24FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -17.8%FY2026 +4.0%FY2026 +8.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -4.8% +16.7% +6.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $5.13BFY2026 $9.06BFY2026 $29.23BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.6%FY2026 +10.3%FY2026 +8.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +2.4% -4.0% -4.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersARCOYUMMCD
Held by institutions 45.3% 88.7% 74.2%
Institutions holding 174 1,435 3,473
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.8% +3.6% +0.4%
Institutions buying 93 626 1,534
Institutions selling 45 488 1,485
Buyers to sellers 2.07 1.28 1.03

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.

ARCOYUMMCD
ARCO 1.00 0.15 0.20
YUM 0.15 1.00 0.58
MCD 0.20 0.58 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ARCO, YUM and MCD?

Mcdonalds (MCD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) $1.47B, Yum Brands (YUM) $41.09B, Mcdonalds (MCD) $176.83B.

Which stock is cheaper, ARCO, YUM and MCD?

Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 6.0x, Yum Brands (YUM) 18.5x, Mcdonalds (MCD) 20.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) is cheapest (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 8.5x, Yum Brands (YUM) 23.8x, Mcdonalds (MCD) 18.9x). 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%, Yum Brands (YUM) +10.3%, Mcdonalds (MCD) +6.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mcdonalds (MCD) has the highest net margin (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 4.9%, Yum Brands (YUM) 25.4%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 31.7%). On return on invested capital, Yum Brands (YUM) leads (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 18.1%, Yum Brands (YUM) 54.9%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 25.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Yum Brands (YUM) returned the most: Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) -2.4%, Yum Brands (YUM) +4.2%, Mcdonalds (MCD) -18.0%. Over five years, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) compounded fastest (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) +8.1%/yr, Yum Brands (YUM) +3.5%/yr, Mcdonalds (MCD) +0.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Mcdonalds (MCD) has the highest dividend yield: Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 0.00%, Yum Brands (YUM) 0.02%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 0.03%. Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mcdonalds (MCD) has been the steadiest (Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 38.8%, Yum Brands (YUM) 25.5%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 19.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ARCO, YUM and MCD?

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.