AAPL vs MCD: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Apple Inc. and McDonald's Corporation — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-05-13.
Apple Inc. · Technology
$294.80
-9.3% upside to fair value
Grade B-
High Quality
VS
McDonald's Corporation · Consumer Cyclical
$275.75
+18.8% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MCD has more upside to fair value
(+18.8%).
MCD trades at a lower forward P/E
(22.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
AAPL |
MCD |
| Current Price |
$294.80 |
$275.75 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$267.40 |
$327.62 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-9.3%
|
+18.8%
|
| Market Cap |
$4,329.8B |
$196.0B |
| Forward P/E |
35.4x
|
22.6x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
27.3x
|
16.7x
|
| Price / Sales |
9.6x
|
7.1x
|
| Price / FCF |
33.5x
|
27.9x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+16.6%
|
+9.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
47.9%
|
57.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
32.6%
|
46.0%
|
| Return on Equity |
146.7%
|
-434.0%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.34% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.98%
|
3.59%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Apple Inc. is the world's most valuable consumer technology company, anchored by the iPhone franchise and a roughly $100 billion annual Services business that compounds at a low-to-mid teens rate on an installed base of approximately 2.5 billion active devices. Fiscal Q2 2026 results reported on April 30 showed revenue of $111.2 billion (+16.6% YoY) and EPS of $2.02 (+22.4% YoY), driven by a cont…
McDonald's Corporation operates a global quick-service restaurant business with a strong competitive moat driven by brand recognition, extensive franchising, and digital innovation. The company reported $26.9 billion in revenue for fiscal 2025, growing 4% year-over-year, with significant contributions from its International Operated Markets segment growing nearly 8%. Despite a high valuation regi…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
AAPL |
MCD |
| Zone Low |
$200.50 |
$245.72 |
| Zone High |
$227.30 |
$278.48 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|