MCD vs AKO-A vs ARCO Stock Comparison

Mcdonalds, Andina Bottling and Arcos Dorados Holdings Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MCD Mcdonalds Corp
$250.84 +6.1% 1M -18.0% 1Y
Market cap
$177.50B
P/E
20.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$27.70B
Div. yield
2.97%
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
4 wins
AKO-A Andina Bottling Co Inc
$23.61 -9.1% 1M +17.2% 1Y
Market cap
$3.72B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$978.34B
Div. yield
–
Non-Alcoholic Beverages Consumer Staples
2 wins
ARCO Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc.
$7.03 -2.9% 1M -2.4% 1Y
Market cap
$1.48B
P/E
6.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.98B
Div. yield
3.84%
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
6 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, Andina Bottling 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMCDAKO-AARCOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $177.50B $3.72B $1.48B MCD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.2x 0.0x 6.0x ARCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.9x — 8.5x ARCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.3% +2.3% +10.8% ARCO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 31.7% -19.6% 4.9% MCD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 25.9% 13.9% 18.1% MCD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 3.7x 1.3x ARCO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 2.97% — 3.84% ARCO
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -18.0% +17.2% -2.4% AKO-A
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +0.7%/yr +17.0%/yr +8.1%/yr AKO-A
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 19.9% 53.0% 38.8% MCD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 40/100 57/100 58/100 ARCO

Percentile Scorecard

MCDAKO-AARCO

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

AxisMCDAKO-AARCO
Valuation 17 #16 of 19 100 #1 of 16 94 #2 of 19
Growth 38 #11 of 17 9 #11 of 12 63 #7 of 17
Profitability 93 #2 of 16 70 #4 of 11 60 #7 of 16
Financial Health 26 #15 of 20 50 #9 of 17 37 #13 of 20
Shareholder Returns 25 #7 of 9 – 38 #6 of 9
Overall 40 57 58
  • MCD ranked among 22 companies in Restaurants
  • AKO-A ranked among 19 companies in Beverages
  • ARCO ranked among 22 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMCDAKO-AARCOSPY
1 month +6.1%-9.1%-2.9% -0.8%
3 months -7.3%+3.8%-15.4% +3.5%
6 months -13.6%+1.5%-21.4% +7.0%
Year to date -17.9%+1.3%-4.2% +12.2%
1 year -18.0%+17.2%-2.4% +13.0%
3 years -1.9%+141.4%-22.9% +86.3%
3 years, per year -0.6%+34.2%-8.3% +23.1%
5 years +3.3%+118.8%+47.4% +68.6%
5 years, per year +0.7%+17.0%+8.1% +11.0%
10 years +123.7%+8.0%+15.6% +258.0%
10 years, per year +8.4%+0.8%+1.5% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureMCDAKO-AARCOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 19.9%53.0%38.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.5%66.0%36.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.010.190.92 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.900.32-0.06 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -32.3%-28.6%-50.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.5%-12.4%-26.0% -1.8%
52-week high $341.06$26.96$9.50 $779.14
52-week low $230.86$20.29$6.91 $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.

MultipleMCDAKO-AARCO
P/E now vs peer median 20.2xmedian 16.8x 0.0xmedian 30.2x 6.0xmedian 16.8x
P/S now vs peer median 6.4xmedian 1.0x 0.0xmedian 1.5x 0.3xmedian 1.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.4xmedian 9.9x 3.7xmedian 15.0x 4.1xmedian 9.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 24.0xmedian 17.5x 4.7xmedian 17.8x 23.7xmedian 17.5x
P/B now vs peer median -173.5xmedian 3.9x 0.0xmedian 1.3x 1.8xmedian 3.9x
PEG now vs peer median 4.71median 0.52 —median 1.70 0.44median 0.52

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 monthsMCDAKO-AARCO
Revenue $27.70B $978.34B $4.98B
Gross profit $24.86B $395.11B $4.89B
Operating income $12.80B $497.89B $327.73M
Net income $8.79B $105.38B $256.75M
Free cash flow $7.39B $799.73M $62.51M
EPS (diluted) $12.36 – $1.17
Cash & equivalents $822.00M $322.08B $259.99M
Total debt $162.65B $6.65T $4.13B
Shares (diluted) 711.10M – 210.66M
Enterprise value $172.33B -$985.18B $267.29M

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
MetricMCDAKO-AARCO
P/E 20.2x 0.0x 6.0x
P/FCF 24.0x 4.7x 23.7x
P/Operating cash flow 15.6x 5.1x 4.1x
P/S 6.4x 0.0x 0.3x
P/B -173.5x 0.0x 1.8x
P/Tangible book -173.5x 0.0x 1.8x
EV/EBITDA 14.4x 3.7x 4.1x
EV/EBIT 16.9x 3.7x 6.7x
EV/Revenue 7.8x 1.9x 0.4x
EV/FCF 29.3x 2,314x 35.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.1x 2,532x 6.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 4.71 – 0.44

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMCDAKO-AARCO
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.3% 2.3% 10.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.6% -34.1% 7.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 5.3% 2.4% 10.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.8% -33.4% 7.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 7.3% 14.7% 12.9%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 5.2% 12.3% 3.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 4.7% 5.6% 97.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 3.2% -16.9% 15.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 5.7% – 88.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 4.3% – 13.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 15.8% 17.4% 38.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.1% -88.9% 5.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 18.0% -7.3% 156.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.3% -90.2% -24.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMCDAKO-AARCO
Gross margin 89.7% 40.4% 98.1%
EBITDA margin 54.4% 50.9% 10.8%
Operating margin 46.2% 50.9% 6.6%
Pretax margin 40.4% 13.8% 6.7%
Net margin 31.7% -19.6% 4.9%
FCF margin 26.7% 0.1% 1.3%
Operating cash flow margin 40.9% 0.1% 7.3%
Return on equity – 7.6% 30.6%
Return on assets 14.6% 3.0% 6.4%
Return on invested capital 25.9% 13.9% 18.1%
Return on capital employed 22.9% 17.2% 10.9%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.3x 1.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 0.0x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMCDAKO-AARCO
Debt / assets 66.5% 63.5% 25.5%
Debt / equity -39.0x 1.6x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 3.7x 1.3x
Debt / FCF 5.4x 2,774x 15.9x
Liabilities / assets 101.7% 61.1% 78.6%
Equity / assets -1.7% 38.9% 21.4%
Interest coverage 7.9x 30.2x 24.5x
Current ratio 1.1x 1.6x 0.9x
Quick ratio 0.8x 0.6x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.6x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.60 1.38 2.12

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMCDAKO-AARCO
Dividend yield 3.0% – 3.8%
Net buyback yield 1.2% – –
Shareholder yield 4.1% – 3.8%
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.

ConsensusMCDAKO-AARCO
Forward P/E 18.9xFY2026 – 8.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.26FY2026 – $0.83FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.7%FY2026 – -17.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +6.9% – -4.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $29.26BFY2026 – $5.14BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +8.8%FY2026 – +9.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.7% – +2.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMCDAKO-AARCO
Held by institutions 74.2% 0.1% 45.3%
Institutions holding 3,473 16 174
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.4% -1.0% +3.8%
Institutions buying 1,534 4 93
Institutions selling 1,485 5 45
Buyers to sellers 1.03 0.80 2.07

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.

MCDAKO-AARCO
MCD 1.00 0.09 0.20
AKO-A 0.09 1.00 0.02
ARCO 0.20 0.02 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MCD, AKO-A and ARCO?

Mcdonalds (MCD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Mcdonalds (MCD) $177.50B, Andina Bottling (AKO-A) $3.72B, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) $1.48B.

Which stock is cheaper, MCD, AKO-A and ARCO?

Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Mcdonalds (MCD) 20.2x, Andina Bottling (AKO-A) 0.0x, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 6.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) is cheapest (Mcdonalds (MCD) 18.9x, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 8.5x). 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: Mcdonalds (MCD) +6.3%, Andina Bottling (AKO-A) +2.3%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) +10.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mcdonalds (MCD) has the highest net margin (Mcdonalds (MCD) 31.7%, Andina Bottling (AKO-A) -19.6%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 4.9%). On return on invested capital, Mcdonalds (MCD) leads (Mcdonalds (MCD) 25.9%, Andina Bottling (AKO-A) 13.9%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 18.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Andina Bottling (AKO-A) returned the most: Mcdonalds (MCD) -18.0%, Andina Bottling (AKO-A) +17.2%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) -2.4%. Over five years, Andina Bottling (AKO-A) compounded fastest (Mcdonalds (MCD) +0.7%/yr, Andina Bottling (AKO-A) +17.0%/yr, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) +8.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) has the highest dividend yield: Mcdonalds (MCD) 2.97%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 3.84%. Andina Bottling (AKO-A) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mcdonalds (MCD) has been the steadiest (Mcdonalds (MCD) 19.9%, Andina Bottling (AKO-A) 53.0%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 38.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MCD, AKO-A and ARCO?

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.