MCD vs ARCO vs QSR Stock Comparison

Mcdonalds, Arcos Dorados Holdings and Restaurant Brands International Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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
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

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Arcos Dorados Holdings leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Arcos Dorados Holdings 6, Mcdonalds 4, Restaurant Brands International 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMCDARCOQSRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $176.83B $1.47B $25.75B MCD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.1x 6.0x 20.2x ARCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.9x 8.5x 18.8x ARCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.3% +10.8% +6.5% ARCO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 31.7% 4.9% 13.1% MCD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 25.9% 18.1% 12.1% MCD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 1.3x 4.2x ARCO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -18.0% -2.4% +10.4% QSR
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +0.7%/yr +8.1%/yr +5.7%/yr ARCO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 19.9% 38.8% 25.0% MCD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 72/100 52/100 ARCO

Percentile Scorecard

MCDARCOQSR

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

AxisMCDARCOQSR
Valuation 18 #41 of 50 94 #4 of 50 43 #29 of 50
Growth 39 #29 of 47 85 #8 of 47 63 #18 of 47
Profitability 100 #1 of 46 62 #18 of 46 67 #16 of 46
Financial Health 44 #29 of 51 48 #27 of 51 30 #36 of 51
Shareholder Returns 47 #18 of 33 72 #10 of 33 56 #15 of 33
Overall 50 72 52
  • MCD ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • ARCO ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • QSR ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMCDARCOQSRSPY
1 month +6.1%-2.9%+3.9% -0.8%
3 months -7.3%-15.4%+0.0% +3.5%
6 months -13.6%-21.4%-5.6% +7.0%
Year to date -17.9%-4.2%+9.1% +12.2%
1 year -18.0%-2.4%+10.4% +13.0%
3 years -1.9%-22.9%+13.0% +86.3%
3 years, per year -0.6%-8.3%+4.2% +23.1%
5 years +3.3%+47.4%+31.7% +68.6%
5 years, per year +0.7%+8.1%+5.7% +11.0%
10 years +123.7%+15.6%+72.8% +258.0%
10 years, per year +8.4%+1.5%+5.6% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureMCDARCOQSRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 19.9%38.8%25.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.5%36.4%25.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.010.920.05 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.90-0.060.42 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -32.3%-50.0%-27.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.5%-26.0%-8.8% -1.8%
52-week high $341.06$9.50$81.67 $779.14
52-week low $230.86$6.91$65.69 $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.

MultipleMCDARCOQSR
P/E now vs peer median 20.2xmedian 20.5x 6.0xmedian 20.5x 20.4xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 6.4xmedian 1.1x 0.3xmedian 1.1x 2.7xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.4xmedian 13.3x 4.1xmedian 13.3x 13.0xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 24.0xmedian 17.5x 23.7xmedian 17.5x 15.9xmedian 17.5x
P/B now vs peer median -173.5xmedian 3.1x 1.8xmedian 3.1x 4.8xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 4.71median 1.07 0.44median 1.07 2.70median 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 monthsMCDARCOQSR
Revenue $27.70B $4.98B $9.70B
Gross profit $24.86B $4.89B $5.24B
Operating income $12.80B $327.73M $2.61B
Net income $8.79B $256.75M $1.70B
Free cash flow $7.39B $62.51M $1.63B
EPS (diluted) $12.36 $1.17 $2.77
Cash & equivalents $822.00M $259.99M $1.06B
Total debt $162.65B $4.13B $13.29B
Shares (diluted) 711.10M 210.66M 460.00M
Enterprise value $171.65B $259.48M $21.31B

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
MetricMCDARCOQSR
P/E 20.2x 6.0x 20.4x
P/FCF 24.0x 23.7x 15.9x
P/Operating cash flow 15.6x 4.1x 13.7x
P/S 6.4x 0.3x 2.7x
P/B -173.5x 1.8x 4.8x
P/Tangible book -173.5x 1.8x -4.7x
EV/EBITDA 14.4x 4.1x 13.0x
EV/EBIT 16.9x 6.7x 14.7x
EV/Revenue 7.8x 0.4x 3.9x
EV/FCF 29.3x 35.2x 23.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.1x 6.1x 20.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 4.71 0.44 2.70

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMCDARCOQSR
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.3% 10.8% 6.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.6% 7.8% 12.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 5.3% 10.7% 5.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.8% 7.8% 6.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 7.3% 12.9% 22.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 5.2% 3.4% 11.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 4.7% 97.3% 41.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 3.2% 15.4% 4.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 5.7% 88.7% 47.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 4.3% 13.7% 7.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 15.8% 38.8% 19.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.1% 5.6% 13.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 18.0% 156.0% 20.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.3% -24.4% 11.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMCDARCOQSR
Gross margin 89.7% 98.1% 54.0%
EBITDA margin 54.4% 10.8% 30.3%
Operating margin 46.2% 6.6% 26.9%
Pretax margin 40.4% 6.7% 21.7%
Net margin 31.7% 4.9% 13.1%
FCF margin 26.7% 1.3% 16.8%
Operating cash flow margin 40.9% 7.3% 19.6%
Return on equity – 30.6% 31.8%
Return on assets 14.6% 6.4% 6.8%
Return on invested capital 25.9% 18.1% 12.1%
Return on capital employed 22.9% 10.9% 11.5%
Asset turnover 0.5x 1.3x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.4x 1.1x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% – 1.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMCDARCOQSR
Debt / assets 66.5% 25.5% 53.1%
Debt / equity -39.0x 1.2x 2.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 1.3x 4.2x
Debt / FCF 5.4x 15.9x 8.1x
Liabilities / assets 101.7% 78.6% 78.4%
Equity / assets -1.7% 21.4% 21.6%
Interest coverage 7.9x 24.5x –
Current ratio 1.1x 0.9x 1.0x
Quick ratio 0.8x 0.6x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 4.60 2.12 1.65

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMCDARCOQSR
Dividend yield 3.0% 3.8% 3.5%
Net buyback yield 1.2% – 0.5%
Shareholder yield 4.1% 3.8% 3.9%
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.

ConsensusMCDARCOQSR
Forward P/E 18.9xFY2026 8.5xFY2026 18.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.24FY2026 $0.83FY2026 $3.96FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.5%FY2026 -17.8%FY2026 +7.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +6.8% -4.8% +8.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $29.23BFY2026 $5.13BFY2026 $10.27BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +8.7%FY2026 +9.6%FY2026 +8.9%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.0% +2.4% -10.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMCDARCOQSR
Held by institutions 74.2% 45.3% 92.2%
Institutions holding 3,473 174 575
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.4% +3.8% +6.5%
Institutions buying 1,534 93 319
Institutions selling 1,485 45 165
Buyers to sellers 1.03 2.07 1.93

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.

MCDARCOQSR
MCD 1.00 0.20 0.38
ARCO 0.20 1.00 0.20
QSR 0.38 0.20 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MCD, ARCO and QSR?

Mcdonalds (MCD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Mcdonalds (MCD) $176.83B, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) $1.47B, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) $25.75B.

Which stock is cheaper, MCD, ARCO and QSR?

Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Mcdonalds (MCD) 20.1x, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 6.0x, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 20.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) is cheapest (Mcdonalds (MCD) 18.9x, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 8.5x, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 18.8x). 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%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) +10.8%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) +6.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mcdonalds (MCD) has the highest net margin (Mcdonalds (MCD) 31.7%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 4.9%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 13.1%). On return on invested capital, Mcdonalds (MCD) leads (Mcdonalds (MCD) 25.9%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 18.1%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 12.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Restaurant Brands International (QSR) returned the most: Mcdonalds (MCD) -18.0%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) -2.4%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) +10.4%. Over five years, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) compounded fastest (Mcdonalds (MCD) +0.7%/yr, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) +8.1%/yr, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) +5.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Mcdonalds (MCD) 0.03%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 0.00%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 0.00%. Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) and Restaurant Brands International (QSR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mcdonalds (MCD) has been the steadiest (Mcdonalds (MCD) 19.9%, Arcos Dorados Holdings (ARCO) 38.8%, Restaurant Brands International (QSR) 25.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.