CBRL vs LOCO vs MCD Stock Comparison

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, El Pollo Loco Holdings and Mcdonalds Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LOCO El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
$14.58 +3.5% 1M +54.1% 1Y
Market cap
$434.62M
P/E
12.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$500.79M
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
4 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
7 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mcdonalds leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Mcdonalds 7, El Pollo Loco Holdings 4, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCBRLLOCOMCDLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $1.52B $434.62M $176.83B MCD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 48.1x 12.5x 20.1x LOCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 32.2x 15.0x 18.9x LOCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -4.7% +4.4% +6.3% MCD
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 1.0% 7.0% 31.7% MCD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital -1.4% 10.8% 25.9% MCD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.7x 0.2x 2.6x LOCO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.03% MCD
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +89.9% +54.1% -18.0% CBRL
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -11.8%/yr +0.0%/yr +0.7%/yr MCD
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 57.5% 37.1% 19.9% MCD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 35/100 60/100 50/100 LOCO

Percentile Scorecard

CBRLLOCOMCD

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

AxisCBRLLOCOMCD
Valuation 57 #22 of 50 90 #6 of 50 18 #41 of 50
Growth 9 #43 of 47 83 #9 of 47 39 #29 of 47
Profitability 38 #29 of 46 58 #20 of 46 100 #1 of 46
Financial Health 38 #32 of 51 68 #17 of 51 44 #29 of 51
Shareholder Returns 31 #23 of 33 0 #33 of 33 47 #18 of 33
Overall 35 60 50
  • CBRL ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • LOCO 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

PeriodCBRLLOCOMCDSPY
1 month +32.9%+3.5%+6.1% -0.8%
3 months +31.3%-9.9%-7.3% +3.5%
6 months +121.6%+5.7%-13.6% +7.0%
Year to date +171.0%+39.4%-17.9% +12.2%
1 year +89.9%+54.1%-18.0% +13.0%
3 years +6.5%+77.6%-1.9% +86.3%
3 years, per year +2.1%+21.1%-0.6% +23.1%
5 years -46.6%+0.1%+3.3% +68.6%
5 years, per year -11.8%+0.0%+0.7% +11.0%
10 years -47.9%+23.6%+123.7% +258.0%
10 years, per year -6.3%+2.1%+8.4% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCBRLLOCOMCDSPY
Volatility, 1Y 57.5%37.1%19.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 54.0%32.2%20.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.350.45-0.01 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.561.46-0.90 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -83.2%-47.2%-32.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -0.3%-15.2%-26.5% -1.8%
52-week high $69.02$17.20$341.06 $779.14
52-week low $25.02$9.06$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.

MultipleCBRLLOCOMCD
P/E now vs peer median 48.5xmedian 20.5x 12.4xmedian 20.5x 20.2xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 0.5xmedian 1.1x 0.9xmedian 1.1x 6.4xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 16.2xmedian 13.3x 6.6xmedian 13.3x 14.4xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 17.4xmedian 17.5x 10.8xmedian 17.5x 24.0xmedian 17.5x
P/B now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 3.1x 1.4xmedian 3.1x -173.5xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median -1.52median 1.07 0.60median 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 monthsCBRLLOCOMCD
Revenue $3.32B $500.79M $27.70B
Gross profit $2.29B $161.41M $24.86B
Operating income -$12.47M $52.67M $12.80B
Net income $31.68M $34.86M $8.79B
Free cash flow $88.42M $41.01M $7.39B
EPS (diluted) $1.40 $1.16 $12.36
Cash & equivalents $36.54M $13.30M $822.00M
Total debt $1.91B $186.00M $162.65B
Shares (diluted) 22.55M 30.09M 711.10M
Enterprise value $1.44B $400.29M $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
MetricCBRLLOCOMCD
P/E 48.5x 12.4x 20.2x
P/FCF 17.4x 10.8x 24.0x
P/Operating cash flow 7.5x 6.0x 15.6x
P/S 0.5x 0.9x 6.4x
P/B 3.2x 1.4x -173.5x
P/Tangible book 3.2x 1.7x -173.5x
EV/EBITDA 16.2x 6.6x 14.4x
EV/EBIT -147.5x 8.7x 16.9x
EV/Revenue 0.6x 0.9x 7.8x
EV/FCF 20.8x 11.2x 29.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 8.9x 6.2x 19.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.52 0.60 4.71

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCBRLLOCOMCD
Revenue growth (1Y) -4.7% 4.4% 6.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -1.2% 2.0% 4.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -4.6% 8.4% 5.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -0.3% 8.3% 4.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) -122.7% 33.5% 7.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -28.1% 14.6% 5.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -31.7% 41.0% 4.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -31.6% 14.0% 3.2%
EPS growth (1Y) -31.9% 37.1% 5.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -31.9% 20.7% 4.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -5.8% 97.0% 15.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -6.3% 15.1% 9.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 48.0% 98.0% 18.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -10.5% 13.3% 8.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCBRLLOCOMCD
Gross margin 69.1% 32.2% 89.7%
EBITDA margin 3.4% 13.9% 54.4%
Operating margin -0.4% 10.5% 46.2%
Pretax margin 0.6% 9.8% 40.4%
Net margin 1.0% 7.0% 31.7%
FCF margin 2.7% 8.2% 26.7%
Operating cash flow margin 6.2% 14.8% 40.9%
Return on equity 6.7% 11.2% –
Return on assets 1.5% 5.7% 14.6%
Return on invested capital -1.4% 10.8% 25.9%
Return on capital employed -0.8% 9.9% 22.9%
Asset turnover 1.6x 0.8x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 6.5x 2.1x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 1.1% 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCBRLLOCOMCD
Debt / assets 16.7% 4.8% 66.5%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.1x -39.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.7x 0.2x 2.6x
Debt / FCF 3.8x 0.7x 5.4x
Liabilities / assets 76.4% 48.8% 101.7%
Equity / assets 23.6% 51.2% -1.7%
Interest coverage – 14.9x 7.9x
Current ratio 0.6x 0.4x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 2.42 2.02 4.60

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCBRLLOCOMCD
Dividend yield 1.5% – 3.0%
Net buyback yield – -0.7% 1.2%
Shareholder yield 1.5% -0.7% 4.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 73.1% – 59.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) 26.2% – 70.8%
Dividend growth (1Y) 0.2% – 4.6%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -41.6% – 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.

ConsensusCBRLLOCOMCD
Forward P/E 32.2xFY2027 15.0xFY2026 18.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.14FY2027 $0.97FY2026 $13.24FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +167.5%FY2027 -1.0%FY2026 +8.5%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.6% +22.7% +6.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.54BFY2027 $481.37MFY2026 $29.23BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.6%FY2027 -1.8%FY2026 +8.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -8.3% +6.1% -4.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCBRLLOCOMCD
Held by institutions 100.0% 93.3% 74.2%
Institutions holding 270 152 3,473
Change in shares held, QoQ +12.2% +7.1% +0.4%
Institutions buying 150 89 1,534
Institutions selling 69 42 1,485
Buyers to sellers 2.17 2.12 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.

CBRLLOCOMCD
CBRL 1.00 0.43 0.15
LOCO 0.43 1.00 0.22
MCD 0.15 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CBRL, LOCO and MCD?

Mcdonalds (MCD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) $1.52B, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) $434.62M, Mcdonalds (MCD) $176.83B.

Which stock is cheaper, CBRL, LOCO and MCD?

El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) 48.1x, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 12.5x, Mcdonalds (MCD) 20.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) is cheapest (Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) 32.2x, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 15.0x, 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?

Mcdonalds (MCD) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) -4.7%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +4.4%, Mcdonalds (MCD) +6.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mcdonalds (MCD) has the highest net margin (Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) 1.0%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 7.0%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 31.7%). On return on invested capital, Mcdonalds (MCD) leads (Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) -1.4%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 10.8%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 25.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) returned the most: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) +89.9%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +54.1%, Mcdonalds (MCD) -18.0%. Over five years, Mcdonalds (MCD) compounded fastest (Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) -11.8%/yr, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +0.0%/yr, Mcdonalds (MCD) +0.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Mcdonalds (MCD) has the highest dividend yield: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) 0.02%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 0.00%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 0.03%. El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mcdonalds (MCD) has been the steadiest (Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) 57.5%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 37.1%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 19.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CBRL, LOCO 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, Mcdonalds (MCD) leads on 7. 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.