McDonald's Corp vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? McDonald's Corp trades at $272.26 (market cap $194.00B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $147.12 (market cap $39.50B). The key difference: McDonald's Corp is far larger — about 4.9× Yum! Brands, Inc.'s market cap, and McDonald's Corp pays the higher dividend (2.71%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MCD | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $194.00B | $39.50B |
Volume | 2,230,036 | — |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $341.06 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $262.80 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $247.77B | $51.10B |
Dividend Yield | 2.71% | 2.07% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
McDonald's (MCD) trades at $273.72, down 0.28% on the day, with a neutral technical signal and strong fundamentals including a 31.72% net margin and consistent earnings beats. The company recently unveiled its 'McDonald's NEXT' growth strategy focusing on automation and menu innovation to drive future performance. Revenue growth remains steady, with 2025 revenue at $26.89 billion.
Outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $322.45 offering 17.8% upside, supported by 60% analyst buy ratings. Risks include inflationary pressures on franchisee margins and high long-term debt of $38.42 billion. The stock presents a value opportunity with stable dividends and strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing competitiveness.
YUM trades at $145.33, down 3.6% amid bearish technical signals and recent parasite outbreak concerns affecting Taco Bell sales. The company reported strong Q2 2026 earnings of $1.62 per share, beating estimates, with revenue growth continuing from $8.21B in 2025 to projected $8.7B in 2026. Valuation metrics show a P/E of 18.23 and P/S of 4.63, while debt reduction improved with debt-to-asset ratio declining to 143.49 in 2025.
The outlook remains mixed with analyst consensus price target of $174.60 suggesting 20% upside, but legal investigations and food safety issues pose near-term risks. Long-term growth drivers include digital expansion and portfolio optimization following Pizza Hut China sale, though execution on Taco Bell recovery is critical for sentiment improvement.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
McDonald's Corporation franchises and operates fast-food restaurants in the global restaurant industry. The Company's restaurants serves a variety of value-priced menu products in countries around the world.
Read more on MCD →Yum Brands is a U.S.-based restaurant operator featuring a portfolio of four brands: KFC (26,930 global units), Pizza Hut (18,380 units), Taco Bell (7,790 units), and The Habit Burger (310 units) at year-end 2021. With $58 billion in 2021 systemwide sales, the firm is the second-largest restaurant company in the world, behind McDonald's ($112.5 billion) but ahead of Restaurant Brands International ($36 billion) and Starbucks ($25 billion). Yum is 98% franchised, with the largest franchisee, Yum China, created via a 2016 spinoff transaction (after which Yum China agreed to pay 3% royalties to Yum Brands in perpetuity). Yum is the newest evolution of Tricon Brands, formerly a division of PepsiCo, and generates the bulk of its revenue from franchise royalties and marketing contributions.
Read more on YUM →