MCD vs. SBUX: McDonald's vs. Starbucks Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX) are both classified in the Restaurants sub-industry within the broader Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Profile Item	MCD	SBUX
Name	McDonald's Corporation	Starbucks Corporation
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	Restaurants
Market Capitalization	193.07 billion USD	122.77 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	July 5, 1966	June 26, 1992
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MCD

SBUX

GSPC

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 Starbucks (SBUX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	MCD	SBUX
Total Return (1Y)	-9.55%	19.46%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	0.46%	4.76%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	5.09%	0.76%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MCD

SBUX

GSPC

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	MCD	SBUX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	17.97%	27.89%
Beta (5Y)	0.41	0.97
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-21.99%	-40.74%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.56M	7.61M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

MCD and SBUX are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	MCD	SBUX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.75	0.56
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-1.05	0.87

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Neither McDonald's (MCD) nor Starbucks (SBUX) reports a ROE value for this period, so a direct comparison isn’t possible.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

Max: 53.72%
Q3: 32.41%
Median: 14.56%
Q1: 2.45%
Min: -37.58%
MCD: --

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

Max: 53.72%
Q3: 32.41%
Median: 14.56%
Q1: 2.45%
Min: -37.58%
SBUX: --

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): Neither stock reports ROE, so the chart shows available benchmark boxes without value markers.

Net Margin (TTM)

McDonald's (MCD) at 31.72% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Starbucks (SBUX) at 5.17% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

31.72%

MCD: 31.72%
Max: 28.43%
Q3: 13.04%
Median: 6.06%
Q1: 1.23%
Min: -15.48%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

5.17%

Max: 28.43%
Q3: 13.04%
Median: 6.06%
SBUX: 5.17%
Q1: 1.23%
Min: -15.48%

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

McDonald's (MCD) at 46.49% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Starbucks (SBUX) at 12.92%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

46.49%

MCD: 46.49%
Max: 46.49%
Q3: 22.02%
Median: 13.16%
Q1: 5.61%
Min: -12.59%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

12.92%

Max: 46.49%
Q3: 22.02%
Median: 13.16%
SBUX: 12.92%
Q1: 5.61%
Min: -12.59%

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	MCD	SBUX
ROE (TTM)	--	--
ROA (TTM)	13.25%	8.02%
Net Margin (TTM)	31.72%	5.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)	46.49%	12.92%
Gross Margin (TTM)	57.38%	22.34%

Growth

Revenue Growth

McDonald's (MCD) at 3.72% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Starbucks (SBUX) at 2.79% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

McDonald's (MCD) at 4.92% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Starbucks (SBUX) at -50.76% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	MCD	SBUX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	3.72%	2.79%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.06%	4.86%
EPS Growth (YoY)	4.92%	-50.76%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	12.78%	-16.80%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both McDonald's (MCD) at 1.08 and Starbucks (SBUX) at 0.76 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

1.08

Max: 3.25
Q3: 1.77
MCD: 1.08
Median: 1.02
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.20

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

0.76

Max: 3.25
Q3: 1.77
Median: 1.02
SBUX: 0.76
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.20

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Neither McDonald's (MCD) nor Starbucks (SBUX) reports a debt-to-equity ratio value for this period, so a direct comparison isn’t possible.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

Max: 7.30
Q3: 3.37
Median: 1.29
Q1: 0.36
Min: 0.01
MCD: --

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

Max: 7.30
Q3: 3.37
Median: 1.29
Q1: 0.36
Min: 0.01
SBUX: --

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): Neither stock reports debt-to-equity ratio, so the chart shows available benchmark boxes without value markers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	MCD	SBUX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.08	0.76
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.60	3.34

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both McDonald's (MCD) at 2.70% and Starbucks (SBUX) at 2.30% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

2.70%

Max: 3.45%
MCD: 2.70%
Q3: 1.61%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

2.30%

Max: 3.45%
SBUX: 2.30%
Q3: 1.61%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Starbucks (SBUX) reports payout ratio above 100% at 142.77%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile McDonald's (MCD) reports 59.71%, ranking against industry peers normally.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

59.71%

Max: 86.96%
MCD: 59.71%
Q3: 36.40%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

142.77%

SBUX: 142.77%
Max: 86.96%
Q3: 36.40%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

McDonald's (MCD) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	MCD	SBUX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.70%	2.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	59.71%	142.77%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

McDonald's (MCD) at 22.18 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Starbucks (SBUX) at 62.25 sits in the richer quartile — SBUX needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

22.18

Max: 62.25
Q3: 36.66
MCD: 22.18
Median: 21.99
Q1: 16.94
Min: 3.73

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

62.25

SBUX: 62.25
Max: 62.25
Q3: 36.66
Median: 21.99
Q1: 16.94
Min: 3.73

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Starbucks (SBUX) at 3.20 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while McDonald's (MCD) at 6.97 clears its benchmark range — MCD looks notably rich on sales.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

6.97

MCD: 6.97
Max: 6.57
Q3: 3.20
Median: 1.73
Q1: 0.83
Min: 0.06

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

3.20

Max: 6.57
SBUX: 3.20
Q3: 3.20
Median: 1.73
Q1: 0.83
Min: 0.06

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both McDonald's (MCD) at -188.68 and Starbucks (SBUX) at -15.99 report negative P/B ratio values, meaning both companies have negative book equity — neither multiple is meaningful for valuation.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

-188.68

Max: 11.64
Q3: 5.55
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.06
Min: -5.60
MCD: -188.68

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

-15.99

Max: 11.64
Q3: 5.55
Median: 2.56
Q1: 1.06
Min: -5.60
SBUX: -15.99

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	MCD	SBUX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	22.18	62.25
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.97	3.20
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	-188.68	-15.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.24%	2.50%