KO vs MCD vs SBUX Stock Comparison

Coca Cola, Mcdonalds and Starbucks Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
KO Coca Cola Co
$92.70 +5.2% 1M +32.5% 1Y
Market cap
$398.65B
P/E
27.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$50.13B
Div. yield
–
Non-Alcoholic Beverages Consumer Staples
7 wins
MCD Mcdonalds Corp
$248.49 +4.2% 1M -19.1% 1Y
Market cap
$177.91B
P/E
20.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$27.70B
Div. yield
0.03%
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
3 wins
SBUX Starbucks Corp
$100.80 +7.1% 1M +18.0% 1Y
Market cap
$117.05B
P/E
59.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$38.34B
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Coca Cola leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Coca Cola 7, Mcdonalds 3, Starbucks 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionKOMCDSBUXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $398.65B $177.91B $117.05B KO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.8x 20.2x 59.0x MCD
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 28.6x 18.7x 41.1x MCD
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.5% +6.3% +4.5% KO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 28.6% 31.7% 5.2% MCD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 15.4% 25.9% 31.4% SBUX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.9x 2.6x 2.1x KO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.03% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +32.5% -19.1% +18.0% KO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +11.2%/yr +0.8%/yr -2.5%/yr KO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 19.2% 19.9% 27.6% KO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 59/100 50/100 34/100 KO

Percentile Scorecard

KOMCDSBUX

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

AxisKOMCDSBUX
Valuation 27 #28 of 38 18 #41 of 50 6 #47 of 50
Growth 63 #13 of 33 39 #29 of 47 17 #39 of 47
Profitability 97 #2 of 32 100 #1 of 46 69 #15 of 46
Financial Health 60 #16 of 38 44 #29 of 51 42 #30 of 51
Shareholder Returns 48 #13 of 24 47 #18 of 33 34 #22 of 33
Overall 59 50 34
  • KO ranked among 41 companies in Beverages
  • MCD 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

PeriodKOMCDSBUXSPY
1 month +5.2%+4.2%+7.1% -1.0%
3 months +12.7%-6.1%-2.4% +2.9%
6 months +21.0%-17.0%+2.2% +6.4%
Year to date +32.6%-18.7%+19.7% +11.4%
1 year +32.5%-19.1%+18.0% +13.1%
3 years +66.6%-3.4%+6.5% +79.4%
3 years, per year +18.6%-1.2%+2.1% +21.5%
5 years +70.2%+4.2%-12.0% +67.7%
5 years, per year +11.2%+0.8%-2.5% +10.9%
10 years +120.0%+118.1%+88.0% +255.2%
10 years, per year +8.2%+8.1%+6.5% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureKOMCDSBUXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 19.2%19.9%27.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 16.8%20.4%25.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.270.000.53 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.70-0.960.65 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -20.9%-32.3%-40.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.8%-27.1%-7.1% -2.5%
52-week high $95.34$341.06$108.55 $779.14
52-week low $67.54$230.86$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.

MultipleKOMCDSBUX
P/E now vs peer median 27.9xmedian 27.0x 20.1xmedian 20.6x 57.9xmedian 20.6x
P/S now vs peer median 8.0xmedian 1.6x 6.3xmedian 1.1x 3.0xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 27.0xmedian 14.4x 14.3xmedian 13.3x 26.8xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 27.9xmedian 18.3x 23.8xmedian 17.3x 31.6xmedian 17.3x
P/B now vs peer median 10.4xmedian 2.8x -171.9xmedian 3.1x -15.0xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 2.51median 2.03 4.66median 1.04 -3.01median 1.04

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 monthsKOMCDSBUX
Revenue $50.13B $27.70B $38.34B
Gross profit $31.02B $24.86B –
Operating income $14.85B $12.80B $2.98B
Net income $14.40B $8.79B $1.98B
Free cash flow $14.30B $7.39B $3.64B
EPS (diluted) $3.32 $12.36 $1.73
Cash & equivalents $12.91B $822.00M $3.45B
Total debt $177.22B $162.65B $13.28B
Shares (diluted) 4.31B 711.10M 1.14B
Enterprise value $385.12B $172.73B $104.68B

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
MetricKOMCDSBUX
P/E 27.9x 20.1x 57.9x
P/FCF 27.9x 23.8x 31.6x
P/Operating cash flow 24.4x 15.5x 23.0x
P/S 8.0x 6.3x 3.0x
P/B 10.4x -171.9x -15.0x
P/Tangible book 15.5x -171.9x -14.6x
EV/EBITDA 27.0x 14.3x 26.8x
EV/EBIT 28.9x 16.8x 41.8x
EV/Revenue 8.6x 7.8x 3.2x
EV/FCF 30.0x 29.1x 34.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 26.2x 18.9x 25.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.51 4.66 -3.01

Growth

14 metrics
MetricKOMCDSBUX
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.5% 6.3% 4.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.3% 4.6% 3.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.3% 5.3% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.3% 4.8% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 12.9% 7.3% -24.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 10.8% 5.2% -17.8%
Net income growth (1Y) 18.0% 4.7% -24.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 3.2% -19.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.6% 5.7% -24.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 11.1% 4.3% -19.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 1,156% 15.8% 1.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.8% 9.1% -1.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 2,080% 18.0% 61.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.6% 8.3% 6.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricKOMCDSBUX
Gross margin 61.9% 89.7% –
EBITDA margin 31.7% 54.4% 12.1%
Operating margin 29.6% 46.2% 7.8%
Pretax margin 34.4% 40.4% 8.0%
Net margin 28.6% 31.7% 5.2%
FCF margin 28.5% 26.7% 9.5%
Operating cash flow margin 32.6% 40.9% 13.0%
Return on equity 38.9% – –
Return on assets 13.6% 14.6% 6.7%
Return on invested capital 15.4% 25.9% 31.4%
Return on capital employed 18.4% 22.9% 15.3%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 1.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x 1.3x 2.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.5% 0.6% 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricKOMCDSBUX
Debt / assets 40.3% 66.5% 46.9%
Debt / equity 1.1x -39.0x -1.7x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.9x 2.6x 2.1x
Debt / FCF 3.0x 5.4x 3.6x
Liabilities / assets 64.5% 101.7% 127.1%
Equity / assets 35.5% -1.7% -27.1%
Interest coverage 9.5x 7.9x 5.4x
Current ratio 1.3x 1.1x 0.8x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.8x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.2x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 5.53 4.59 3.10

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricKOMCDSBUX
Dividend yield 2.3% 3.0% 2.5%
Net buyback yield 0.1% 1.2% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 2.4% 4.2% 2.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 59.5% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 70.8% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 4.6% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 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.

ConsensusKOMCDSBUX
Forward P/E 28.6xFY2026 18.7xFY2026 41.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.24FY2026 $13.26FY2026 $2.45FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.0%FY2026 +8.7%FY2026 +15.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.7% +6.9% +22.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $47.01BFY2026 $29.26BFY2026 $35.65BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -1.9%FY2026 +8.8%FY2026 -4.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.3% -3.7% +5.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersKOMCDSBUX
Held by institutions 75.2% 74.2% 85.6%
Institutions holding 3,641 3,473 2,399
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.9% +0.4% +4.9%
Institutions buying 1,806 1,534 1,096
Institutions selling 1,359 1,485 991
Buyers to sellers 1.33 1.03 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.

KOMCDSBUX
KO 1.00 0.52 0.29
MCD 0.52 1.00 0.34
SBUX 0.29 0.34 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, KO, MCD and SBUX?

Coca Cola (KO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Coca Cola (KO) $398.65B, Mcdonalds (MCD) $177.91B, Starbucks (SBUX) $117.05B.

Which stock is cheaper, KO, MCD and SBUX?

Mcdonalds (MCD) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Coca Cola (KO) 27.8x, Mcdonalds (MCD) 20.2x, Starbucks (SBUX) 59.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Mcdonalds (MCD) is cheapest (Coca Cola (KO) 28.6x, Mcdonalds (MCD) 18.7x, Starbucks (SBUX) 41.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Coca Cola (KO) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Coca Cola (KO) +6.5%, Mcdonalds (MCD) +6.3%, Starbucks (SBUX) +4.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mcdonalds (MCD) has the highest net margin (Coca Cola (KO) 28.6%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 31.7%, Starbucks (SBUX) 5.2%). On return on invested capital, Starbucks (SBUX) leads (Coca Cola (KO) 15.4%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 25.9%, Starbucks (SBUX) 31.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Coca Cola (KO) returned the most: Coca Cola (KO) +32.5%, Mcdonalds (MCD) -19.1%, Starbucks (SBUX) +18.0%. Over five years, Coca Cola (KO) compounded fastest (Coca Cola (KO) +11.2%/yr, Mcdonalds (MCD) +0.8%/yr, Starbucks (SBUX) -2.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Coca Cola (KO) 0.00%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 0.03%, Starbucks (SBUX) 0.00%. Coca Cola (KO) and Starbucks (SBUX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Coca Cola (KO) has been the steadiest (Coca Cola (KO) 19.2%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 19.9%, Starbucks (SBUX) 27.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, KO, MCD 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, Coca Cola (KO) 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.