MCD vs LOCO vs BROS Stock Comparison

Mcdonalds, El Pollo Loco Holdings and Dutch Bros Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MCD Mcdonalds Corp
$250.84 +6.1% 1M -18.0% 1Y
Market cap
$177.04B
P/E
20.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$27.70B
Div. yield
0.03%
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
5 wins
LOCO El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
$14.58 +3.5% 1M +54.1% 1Y
Market cap
$433.58M
P/E
12.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$500.79M
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
3 wins
BROS Dutch Bros Inc.
$42.04 +10.9% 1M -26.1% 1Y
Market cap
$5.58B
P/E
60.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.88B
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Mcdonalds leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Mcdonalds 5, El Pollo Loco Holdings 3, Dutch Bros 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMCDLOCOBROSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $177.04B $433.58M $5.58B MCD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 20.1x 12.4x 60.5x LOCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.9x 15.0x 46.7x LOCO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.3% +4.4% +29.6% BROS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 31.7% 7.0% 4.9% MCD
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 25.9% 10.8% 13.2% MCD
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 0.2x -0.2x BROS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -18.0% +54.1% -26.1% LOCO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +0.7%/yr +0.0%/yr -9.1%/yr MCD
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 19.9% 37.1% 52.3% MCD
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 60/100 60/100 BROS

Percentile Scorecard

MCDLOCOBROS

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

AxisMCDLOCOBROS
Valuation 18 #41 of 50 90 #6 of 50 14 #43 of 50
Growth 39 #29 of 47 83 #9 of 47 98 #2 of 47
Profitability 100 #1 of 46 58 #20 of 46 51 #23 of 46
Financial Health 44 #29 of 51 68 #17 of 51 78 #12 of 51
Shareholder Returns 47 #18 of 33 0 #33 of 33 –
Overall 50 60 60
  • MCD ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • LOCO ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • BROS ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMCDLOCOBROSSPY
1 month +6.1%+3.5%+10.9% -0.8%
3 months -7.3%-9.9%-36.0% +3.5%
6 months -13.6%+5.7%-26.7% +7.0%
Year to date -17.9%+39.4%-31.3% +12.2%
1 year -18.0%+54.1%-26.1% +13.0%
3 years -1.9%+77.6%+69.9% +86.3%
3 years, per year -0.6%+21.1%+19.3% +23.1%
5 years +3.3%+0.1%-38.1% +68.6%
5 years, per year +0.7%+0.0%-9.1% +11.0%
10 years +123.7%+23.6%— +258.0%
10 years, per year +8.4%+2.1%— +13.6%

Risk

MeasureMCDLOCOBROSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 19.9%37.1%52.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.5%32.2%52.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.010.451.23 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.901.46-0.50 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -32.3%-47.2%-70.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -26.5%-15.2%-42.7% -1.8%
52-week high $341.06$17.20$73.35 $779.14
52-week low $230.86$9.06$37.26 $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.

MultipleMCDLOCOBROS
P/E now vs peer median 20.2xmedian 20.5x 12.4xmedian 20.5x 61.2xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 6.4xmedian 1.1x 0.9xmedian 1.1x 3.9xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.4xmedian 13.3x 6.6xmedian 13.3x 23.1xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 24.0xmedian 17.5x 10.8xmedian 17.5x 97.6xmedian 17.5x
P/B now vs peer median -173.5xmedian 3.1x 1.4xmedian 3.1x 7.5xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 4.71median 1.07 0.60median 1.07 0.04median 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 monthsMCDLOCOBROS
Revenue $27.70B $500.79M $1.88B
Gross profit $24.86B $161.41M $472.44M
Operating income $12.80B $52.67M $180.15M
Net income $8.79B $34.86M $131.71M
Free cash flow $7.39B $41.01M $75.23M
EPS (diluted) $12.36 $1.16 $0.69
Cash & equivalents $822.00M $13.30M $268.62M
Total debt $162.65B $186.00M $198.48M
Shares (diluted) 711.10M 30.09M 134.77M
Enterprise value $171.87B $399.25M $4.52B

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
MetricMCDLOCOBROS
P/E 20.2x 12.4x 61.2x
P/FCF 24.0x 10.8x 97.6x
P/Operating cash flow 15.6x 6.0x 20.1x
P/S 6.4x 0.9x 3.9x
P/B -173.5x 1.4x 7.5x
P/Tangible book -173.5x 1.7x 7.5x
EV/EBITDA 14.4x 6.6x 23.1x
EV/EBIT 16.9x 8.7x 40.4x
EV/Revenue 7.8x 0.9x 3.9x
EV/FCF 29.3x 11.2x 96.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.1x 6.2x 19.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 4.71 0.60 0.04

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMCDLOCOBROS
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.3% 4.4% 29.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.6% 2.0% 30.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 5.3% 8.4% 21.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.8% 8.3% 28.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 7.3% 33.5% 34.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 5.2% 14.6% 85.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 4.7% 41.0% 48.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 3.2% 14.0% 466.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 5.7% 37.1% 51.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 4.3% 20.7% 1,479%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 15.8% 97.0% 34.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.1% 15.1% 60.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 18.0% 98.0% 3.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.3% 13.3% 38.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMCDLOCOBROS
Gross margin 89.7% 32.2% 25.1%
EBITDA margin 54.4% 13.9% 16.7%
Operating margin 46.2% 10.5% 9.6%
Pretax margin 40.4% 9.8% 8.4%
Net margin 31.7% 7.0% 4.9%
FCF margin 26.7% 8.2% 4.0%
Operating cash flow margin 40.9% 14.8% 19.4%
Return on equity – 11.2% 13.9%
Return on assets 14.6% 5.7% 4.1%
Return on invested capital 25.9% 10.8% 13.2%
Return on capital employed 22.9% 9.9% 6.0%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.8x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 2.1x 2.8x
Stock comp / revenue 0.6% 1.1% 1.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMCDLOCOBROS
Debt / assets 66.5% 4.8% 5.9%
Debt / equity -39.0x 0.1x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.6x 0.2x -0.2x
Debt / FCF 5.4x 0.7x 2.6x
Liabilities / assets 101.7% 48.8% 71.1%
Equity / assets -1.7% 51.2% 28.9%
Interest coverage 7.9x 14.9x –
Current ratio 1.1x 0.4x 1.4x
Quick ratio 0.8x 0.3x 1.1x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 1.0x
Altman Z-score 4.60 2.02 2.66

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMCDLOCOBROS
Dividend yield 3.0% – –
Net buyback yield 1.2% -0.7% –
Shareholder yield 4.1% -0.7% –
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.

ConsensusMCDLOCOBROS
Forward P/E 18.9xFY2026 15.0xFY2026 46.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.24FY2026 $0.97FY2026 $0.90FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +8.5%FY2026 -1.0%FY2026 +18.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +6.8% +22.7% +36.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $29.23BFY2026 $481.37MFY2026 $2.03BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +8.7%FY2026 -1.8%FY2026 +23.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.0% +6.1% +25.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMCDLOCOBROS
Held by institutions 74.2% 93.3% 74.7%
Institutions holding 3,473 152 555
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.4% +7.1% -1.1%
Institutions buying 1,534 89 290
Institutions selling 1,485 42 164
Buyers to sellers 1.03 2.12 1.77

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.

MCDLOCOBROS
MCD 1.00 0.22 0.19
LOCO 0.22 1.00 0.41
BROS 0.19 0.41 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MCD, LOCO and BROS?

Mcdonalds (MCD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Mcdonalds (MCD) $177.04B, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) $433.58M, Dutch Bros (BROS) $5.58B.

Which stock is cheaper, MCD, LOCO and BROS?

El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Mcdonalds (MCD) 20.1x, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 12.4x, Dutch Bros (BROS) 60.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) is cheapest (Mcdonalds (MCD) 18.9x, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 15.0x, Dutch Bros (BROS) 46.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Dutch Bros (BROS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Mcdonalds (MCD) +6.3%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +4.4%, Dutch Bros (BROS) +29.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Mcdonalds (MCD) has the highest net margin (Mcdonalds (MCD) 31.7%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 7.0%, Dutch Bros (BROS) 4.9%). On return on invested capital, Mcdonalds (MCD) leads (Mcdonalds (MCD) 25.9%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 10.8%, Dutch Bros (BROS) 13.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) returned the most: Mcdonalds (MCD) -18.0%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +54.1%, Dutch Bros (BROS) -26.1%. Over five years, Mcdonalds (MCD) compounded fastest (Mcdonalds (MCD) +0.7%/yr, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +0.0%/yr, Dutch Bros (BROS) -9.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Mcdonalds (MCD) 0.03%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 0.00%, Dutch Bros (BROS) 0.00%. El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) and Dutch Bros (BROS) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mcdonalds (MCD) has been the steadiest (Mcdonalds (MCD) 19.9%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 37.1%, Dutch Bros (BROS) 52.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 5. 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.