Seek Returns

MCD vs. VIK: McDonald's vs. Viking Stock Comparison

How do McDonald's (MCD) and Viking (VIK) 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 Viking (VIK) both belong to the Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure industry, though MCD is classified under Restaurants while VIK falls under Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines.

McDonald's (MCD) carries decades of public-market history since July 5, 1966, while Viking (VIK) listed on May 1, 2024 — long-window comparisons have far more historical data on the MCD side.

Company profile comparison for McDonald's (MCD) and Viking (VIK)
Profile ItemMCDVIK
NameMcDonald's CorporationViking Holdings Ltd.
Country/RegionUnited StatesBermuda
GICS SectorConsumer DiscretionaryConsumer Discretionary
GICS Industry GroupConsumer ServicesConsumer Services
GICS IndustryHotels, Restaurants & LeisureHotels, Restaurants & Leisure
GICS Sub-IndustryRestaurantsHotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines
Market Capitalization195.16 billion USD39.07 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJuly 5, 1966May 1, 2024
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MCD
VIK
GSPC
Loading price history…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK), 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 Viking (VIK). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for McDonald's (MCD) and Viking (VIK). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Viking (VIK)
MetricMCDVIK
Total Return (1Y)-3.33%49.03%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)4.39%--
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)4.66%--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MCD
VIK
GSPC
Loading price history…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK), 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 Viking (VIK). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Viking (VIK) has an aggressive beta of 1.38, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while McDonald's (MCD) is defensive at 0.39 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Viking (VIK)
MetricMCDVIK
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)20.82%41.04%
Beta (5Y)0.391.38
Max Drawdown (5Y)-30.98%-35.39%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.39M3.95M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
MCD and VIK 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 Viking (VIK)
MetricMCDVIK
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.371.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.541.71

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Viking (VIK) earns 139.62% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; McDonald's (MCD) has no ROE this period.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

--

Max
76.75%
Q3
34.07%
Median
15.90%
Q1
3.23%
Min
-40.61%
MCD
--

VIK

Consumer Services industry group

139.62%

VIK
139.62%
Max
76.75%
Q3
34.07%
Median
15.90%
Q1
3.23%
Min
-40.61%
Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): MCD does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; VIK is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

McDonald's (MCD) at 32.38% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Viking (VIK) at 19.33% also retains a top-quartile share.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

32.38%

MCD
32.38%
Max
25.52%
Q3
12.95%
Median
6.63%
Q1
1.46%
Min
-14.36%

VIK

Consumer Services industry group

19.33%

Max
25.52%
VIK
19.33%
Q3
12.95%
Median
6.63%
Q1
1.46%
Min
-14.36%
Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both McDonald's (MCD) at 48.29% and Viking (VIK) at 29.40% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

48.29%

Max
49.05%
MCD
48.29%
Q3
24.35%
Median
14.23%
Q1
5.67%
Min
-16.47%

VIK

Consumer Services industry group

29.40%

Max
49.05%
VIK
29.40%
Q3
24.35%
Median
14.23%
Q1
5.67%
Min
-16.47%
Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Viking (VIK)
MetricMCDVIK
ROE (TTM)--139.62%
ROA (TTM)--8.14%
Net Margin (TTM)32.38%19.33%
Operating Margin (TTM)48.29%29.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)57.62%44.28%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Viking (VIK) at 21.89% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while McDonald's (MCD) at 3.72% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for VIK.

Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Viking (VIK) at 613.89% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than McDonald's (MCD) at 4.92%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Viking (VIK)
MetricMCDVIK
Revenue Growth (YoY)3.72%21.89%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.06%26.97%
EPS Growth (YoY)4.92%613.89%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)12.78%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Viking (VIK) shows current ratio of 0.81 against its industry benchmark, while McDonald's (MCD) has no reading this period.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

--

Max
3.41
Q3
1.85
Median
1.06
Q1
0.72
Min
0.22
MCD
--

VIK

Consumer Services industry group

0.81

Max
3.41
Q3
1.85
Median
1.06
VIK
0.81
Q1
0.72
Min
0.22
Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): MCD does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; VIK is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Viking (VIK) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 3.75 against its industry range, while McDonald's (MCD) reports no figure this period.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

--

Max
6.12
Q3
2.93
Median
1.29
Q1
0.37
Min
0.01
MCD
--

VIK

Consumer Services industry group

3.75

Max
6.12
VIK
3.75
Q3
2.93
Median
1.29
Q1
0.37
Min
0.01
Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): MCD does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; VIK is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Viking (VIK)
MetricMCDVIK
Current Ratio (MRQ)--0.81
Debt / Equity (MRQ)--3.75
Net Debt / EBITDA3.571.15

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Viking (VIK) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile McDonald's (MCD) reports a yield of 2.68%, ranking against industry peers normally.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

2.68%

Max
4.10%
MCD
2.68%
Q3
1.82%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

VIK

Consumer Services industry group

0.00%

Max
4.10%
Q3
1.82%
VIK
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Viking (VIK) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile McDonald's (MCD) reports a payout of 58.86%, ranking against industry peers normally.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

58.86%

Max
89.80%
MCD
58.86%
Q3
36.83%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

VIK

Consumer Services industry group

0.00%

Max
89.80%
Q3
36.83%
VIK
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Viking (VIK)
MetricMCDVIK
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.68%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)58.86%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both McDonald's (MCD) at 21.88 and Viking (VIK) at 29.06 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

21.88

Max
71.70
Q3
37.12
MCD
21.88
Median
21.88
Q1
13.00
Min
5.72

VIK

Consumer Services industry group

29.06

Max
71.70
Q3
37.12
VIK
29.06
Median
21.88
Q1
13.00
Min
5.72
Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Viking (VIK) at 5.61 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and McDonald's (MCD) at 7.02 prices even higher, above its industry range.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

7.02

MCD
7.02
Max
6.40
Q3
3.01
Median
1.54
Q1
0.74
Min
0.08

VIK

Consumer Services industry group

5.61

Max
6.40
VIK
5.61
Q3
3.01
Median
1.54
Q1
0.74
Min
0.08
Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

McDonald's (MCD) reports a negative P/B ratio of -191.23, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Viking (VIK) reports 24.05, ranking against industry peers normally.

MCD

Consumer Services industry group

-191.23

Max
12.02
Q3
5.58
Median
2.37
Q1
1.09
Min
-4.51
MCD
-191.23

VIK

Consumer Services industry group

24.05

VIK
24.05
Max
12.02
Q3
5.58
Median
2.37
Q1
1.09
Min
-4.51
Loading chart…
McDonald's (MCD) vs. Viking (VIK): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for McDonald's (MCD) and Viking (VIK)
MetricMCDVIK
P/E Ratio (TTM)21.8829.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)7.025.61
P/B Ratio (MRQ)-191.2324.05
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)--1.04%