MCD vs. RCL: McDonald's vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Comparison

June 13, 2026

This page compares McDonald's (MCD) with Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) using performance and risk, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividends, and valuation metrics.

Performance

Cumulative Growth

MCD

RCL

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	MCD	RCL
1-Year Return	-3.77%	12.68%

Risk

Drawdown

MCD

RCL

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) has an aggressive beta of 1.77, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while McDonald's (MCD) is defensive at 0.40 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	MCD	RCL
1-Year Volatility	16.65%	46.59%
Beta	0.40	1.77
3-Month Avg. Volume	3.74M	2.70M

Company Profile

McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) both belong to the Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure industry, though MCD is classified under Restaurants while RCL falls under Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines.

Company profile comparison for McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Profile Item	MCD	RCL
Name	McDonald's Corporation	Royal Caribbean Group
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Services	Consumer Services
GICS Industry	Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure	Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure
GICS Sub-Industry	Restaurants	Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines
Market Capitalization	202.36 billion USD	78.95 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	July 5, 1966	April 28, 1993
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Both McDonald's (MCD) at 23.48 and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 17.95 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

23.48

Max: 71.36
Q3: 40.24
MCD: 23.48
Median: 22.08
Q1: 17.04
Min: 3.87

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

17.95

Max: 71.36
Q3: 40.24
Median: 22.08
RCL: 17.95
Q1: 17.04
Min: 3.87

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 4.29 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and McDonald's (MCD) at 7.37 prices even higher, above its industry range.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

7.37

MCD: 7.37
Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.16
Median: 1.68
Q1: 0.87
Min: 0.06

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

4.29

Max: 6.59
RCL: 4.29
Q3: 3.16
Median: 1.68
Q1: 0.87
Min: 0.06

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

McDonald's (MCD) reports a negative P/B ratio of -157.35, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) reports 8.05, ranking against industry peers normally.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

-157.35

Max: 13.42
Q3: 6.34
Median: 2.54
Q1: 1.07
Min: -5.84
MCD: -157.35

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

8.05

Max: 13.42
RCL: 8.05
Q3: 6.34
Median: 2.54
Q1: 1.07
Min: -5.84

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	MCD	RCL
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	23.48	17.95
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	7.37	4.29
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	-157.35	8.05
Free Cash Flow Yield	2.94%	-0.25%

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) earns 49.58% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; McDonald's (MCD) has no ROE this period.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

Max: 52.89%
Q3: 29.07%
Median: 12.44%
Q1: 3.56%
Min: -26.11%
MCD: --

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

49.58%

Max: 52.89%
RCL: 49.58%
Q3: 29.07%
Median: 12.44%
Q1: 3.56%
Min: -26.11%

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): MCD does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; RCL is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

McDonald's (MCD) at 31.62% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 24.36% also retains a top-quartile share.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

31.62%

MCD: 31.62%
Max: 24.47%
Q3: 12.35%
Median: 6.13%
Q1: 1.16%
Min: -15.48%

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

24.36%

Max: 24.47%
RCL: 24.36%
Q3: 12.35%
Median: 6.13%
Q1: 1.16%
Min: -15.48%

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Both McDonald's (MCD) at 44.25% and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 26.17% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

44.25%

MCD: 44.25%
Max: 44.25%
Q3: 20.10%
Median: 11.37%
Q1: 3.21%
Min: -20.31%

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

26.17%

Max: 44.25%
RCL: 26.17%
Q3: 20.10%
Median: 11.37%
Q1: 3.21%
Min: -20.31%

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	MCD	RCL
Return on Equity (TTM)	--	49.58%
Return on Assets (TTM)	13.56%	8.08%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	31.62%	24.36%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	44.25%	26.17%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	57.35%	50.91%

Growth

Revenue Growth

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	MCD	RCL
1-Year Revenue Growth	3.72%	8.79%
3-Year Revenue CAGR	5.06%	26.59%

EPS Growth

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	MCD	RCL
1-Year EPS Growth	4.92%	41.91%
3-Year EPS CAGR	12.78%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

McDonald's (MCD) at 1.14 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 0.20 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for RCL.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

1.14

Max: 3.05
Q3: 1.72
MCD: 1.14
Median: 0.99
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.20

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

0.20

Max: 3.05
Q3: 1.72
Median: 0.99
Q1: 0.69
RCL: 0.20
Min: 0.20

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17 against its industry range, while McDonald's (MCD) reports no figure this period.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

Max: 7.23
Q3: 3.20
Median: 1.27
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.01
MCD: --

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

2.17

Max: 7.23
Q3: 3.20
RCL: 2.17
Median: 1.27
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.01

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): MCD does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; RCL is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	MCD	RCL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.14	0.20
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	--	2.17
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.61	3.08

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

McDonald's (MCD) at 2.61% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 1.70% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, MCD the richer one.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

2.61%

Max: 4.72%
MCD: 2.61%
Q3: 1.94%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

1.70%

Max: 4.72%
Q3: 1.94%
RCL: 1.70%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 25.93% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while McDonald's (MCD) at 59.85% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

59.85%

Max: 86.96%
MCD: 59.85%
Q3: 34.83%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

25.93%

Max: 86.96%
Q3: 34.83%
RCL: 25.93%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	MCD	RCL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.61%	1.70%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	59.85%	25.93%