LOCO vs MCD vs THCH Stock Comparison

El Pollo Loco Holdings, Mcdonalds and TH International Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LOCO El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
$14.62 +3.8% 1M +49.8% 1Y
Market cap
$445.04M
P/E
12.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$500.79M
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
5 wins
MCD Mcdonalds Corp
$249.47 +5.5% 1M -19.5% 1Y
Market cap
$176.54B
P/E
20.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$27.70B
Div. yield
2.98%
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
6 wins
THCH TH International Ltd
$1.18 -5.6% 1M -53.2% 1Y
Market cap
$39.23M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$170.73M
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

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

QuestionLOCOMCDTHCHLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $445.04M $176.54B $39.23M MCD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 12.5x 20.1x -0.5x LOCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.1x 18.8x — LOCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.4% +6.3% -8.3% MCD
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 7.0% 31.7% -42.5% MCD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.8% 25.9% — MCD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 2.6x — LOCO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 2.98% — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +49.8% -19.5% -53.2% LOCO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -0.2%/yr +0.3%/yr -52.7%/yr MCD
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.0% 19.9% 84.3% MCD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 60/100 50/100 21/100 LOCO

Percentile Scorecard

LOCOMCDTHCH

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

AxisLOCOMCDTHCH
Valuation 92 #5 of 50 18 #41 of 50 12 #44 of 50
Growth 83 #9 of 47 39 #29 of 47 44 #27 of 47
Profitability 58 #20 of 46 100 #1 of 46 7 #43 of 46
Financial Health 68 #17 of 51 44 #29 of 51 –
Shareholder Returns 0 #33 of 33 47 #18 of 33 –
Overall 60 50 21
  • LOCO ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • MCD ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • THCH ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodLOCOMCDTHCHSPY
1 month +3.8%+5.5%-5.6% -0.2%
3 months -10.4%-8.6%-28.0% +3.9%
6 months +7.6%-14.7%-35.9% +8.2%
Year to date +39.8%-18.4%-52.6% +12.9%
1 year +49.8%-19.5%-53.2% +12.3%
3 years +78.1%-2.5%-85.5% +87.4%
3 years, per year +21.2%-0.8%-47.5% +23.3%
5 years -1.0%+1.6%-97.6% +67.9%
5 years, per year -0.2%+0.3%-52.7% +10.9%
10 years +21.8%+122.6%— +261.1%
10 years, per year +2.0%+8.3%— +13.7%

Risk

MeasureLOCOMCDTHCHSPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.0%19.9%84.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 32.2%20.4%90.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.45-0.010.21 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.35-0.98-0.63 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -47.2%-32.3%-98.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.0%-26.9%-56.9% -1.2%
52-week high $17.20$341.06$2.74 $779.14
52-week low $9.06$230.86$1.00 $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.

MultipleLOCOMCDTHCH
P/E now vs peer median 12.5xmedian 20.6x 20.1xmedian 20.6x -0.5xmedian 20.6x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 1.2x 6.4xmedian 1.2x 0.2xmedian 1.2x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 6.6xmedian 13.3x 14.3xmedian 13.3x -1.3xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 10.9xmedian 17.3x 23.9xmedian 17.3x -11,596xmedian 17.3x
P/B now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 3.1x -172.6xmedian 3.1x —median 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 0.60median 1.07 4.68median 1.07 -0.02median 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 monthsLOCOMCDTHCH
Revenue $500.79M $27.70B $170.73M
Gross profit $161.41M $24.86B $147.46M
Operating income $52.67M $12.80B -$44.87M
Net income $34.86M $8.79B -$67.08M
Free cash flow $41.01M $7.39B -$3.38K
EPS (diluted) $1.16 $12.36 $-2.23
Cash & equivalents $13.30M $822.00M –
Total debt $186.00M $162.65B –
Shares (diluted) 30.09M 711.10M 32.52M
Enterprise value $410.71M $171.36B $39.23M

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
MetricLOCOMCDTHCH
P/E 12.5x 20.1x -0.5x
P/FCF 10.9x 23.9x -11,596x
P/Operating cash flow 6.0x 15.6x -11,596x
P/S 0.9x 6.4x 0.2x
P/B 1.4x -172.6x –
P/Tangible book 1.7x -172.6x –
EV/EBITDA 6.6x 14.3x -1.3x
EV/EBIT 8.8x 16.8x -0.9x
EV/Revenue 0.9x 7.8x 0.2x
EV/FCF 11.3x 29.2x -11,596x
EV/Operating cash flow 6.2x 19.0x -11,596x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.60 4.68 -0.02

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLOCOMCDTHCH
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.4% 6.3% -8.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.0% 4.6% -4.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.4% 5.3% -9.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 8.3% 4.8% -6.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 33.5% 7.3% -5.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 14.6% 5.2% 18.9%
Net income growth (1Y) 41.0% 4.7% -26.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 14.0% 3.2% 17.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 37.1% 5.7% -40.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 20.7% 4.3% 22.4%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 97.0% 15.8% 99.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 15.1% 9.1% 95.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 98.0% 18.0% 99.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.3% 8.3% 95.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLOCOMCDTHCH
Gross margin 32.2% 89.7% 86.4%
EBITDA margin 13.9% 54.4% -17.6%
Operating margin 10.5% 46.2% -26.3%
Pretax margin 9.8% 40.4% -42.4%
Net margin 7.0% 31.7% -42.5%
FCF margin 8.2% 26.7% 0.0%
Operating cash flow margin 14.8% 40.9% 0.0%
Return on equity 11.2% – –
Return on assets 5.7% 14.6% –
Return on invested capital 10.8% 25.9% –
Return on capital employed 9.9% 22.9% –
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.5x –
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.1x 1.3x 0.0x
Stock comp / revenue 1.1% 0.6% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLOCOMCDTHCH
Debt / assets 4.8% 66.5% –
Debt / equity 0.1x -39.0x –
Net debt / EBITDA 0.2x 2.6x –
Debt / FCF 0.7x 5.4x –
Liabilities / assets 48.8% 101.7% –
Equity / assets 51.2% -1.7% –
Interest coverage 14.9x 7.9x -19.0x
Current ratio 0.4x 1.1x –
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.8x –
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x –
Altman Z-score 2.02 4.59 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLOCOMCDTHCH
Dividend yield – 3.0% –
Net buyback yield -0.7% 1.2% –
Shareholder yield -0.7% 4.2% –
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.

ConsensusLOCOMCDTHCH
Forward P/E 15.1xFY2026 18.8xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $0.97FY2026 $13.24FY2026 $-1.27FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -1.0%FY2026 +8.5%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +22.7% +6.8% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $481.37MFY2026 $29.23BFY2026 $183.69MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -1.8%FY2026 +8.7%FY2026 +20.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.1% -4.0% +5.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLOCOMCDTHCH
Held by institutions 93.3% 74.2% –
Institutions holding 152 3,475 –
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.1% +0.4% –
Institutions buying 89 1,535 –
Institutions selling 42 1,486 –
Buyers to sellers 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.

LOCOMCDTHCH
LOCO 1.00 0.22 0.03
MCD 0.22 1.00 -0.13
THCH 0.03 -0.13 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LOCO, MCD and THCH?

Mcdonalds (MCD) is the largest by market capitalisation: El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) $445.04M, Mcdonalds (MCD) $176.54B, TH International (THCH) $39.23M.

Which stock is cheaper, LOCO, MCD and THCH?

El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 12.5x, Mcdonalds (MCD) 20.1x, TH International (THCH) -0.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) is cheapest (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 15.1x, Mcdonalds (MCD) 18.8x). 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: El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +4.4%, Mcdonalds (MCD) +6.3%, TH International (THCH) -8.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mcdonalds (MCD) has the highest net margin (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 7.0%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 31.7%, TH International (THCH) -42.5%). On return on invested capital, Mcdonalds (MCD) leads (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 10.8%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 25.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) returned the most: El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +49.8%, Mcdonalds (MCD) -19.5%, TH International (THCH) -53.2%. Over five years, Mcdonalds (MCD) compounded fastest (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) -0.2%/yr, Mcdonalds (MCD) +0.3%/yr, TH International (THCH) -52.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 0.00%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 2.98%. El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) and TH International (THCH) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mcdonalds (MCD) has been the steadiest (El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 37.0%, Mcdonalds (MCD) 19.9%, TH International (THCH) 84.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, LOCO, MCD and THCH?

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 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.