AMAT vs MCD: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Applied Materials, Inc. and McDonald's Corporation — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-24.
Applied Materials, Inc. · Technology
$474.38
-3.5% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
High Quality
VS
McDonald's Corporation · Consumer Cyclical
$252.78
+40.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade A
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MCD has more upside to fair value
(+40.7%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
AMAT |
MCD |
| Current Price |
$474.38 |
$252.78 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$457.95 |
$355.71 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-3.5%
|
+40.7%
|
| Market Cap |
$376.6B |
$179.6B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
33.1x
|
15.5x
|
| Price / Sales |
12.2x
|
6.5x
|
| Price / FCF |
67.0x
|
23.1x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+24.8%
|
+3.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
49.4%
|
57.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
30.5%
|
45.8%
|
| Return on Equity |
40.4%
|
-561.2%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.42% |
2.94% |
| FCF Yield |
1.49%
|
4.32%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Applied Materials is the largest supplier of wafer fabrication equipment, providing deposition, etch, ion implantation, and process-control tools alongside a growing Applied Global Services aftermarket business to semiconductor manufacturers worldwide. The business quality is high: TTM gross margin of 49.4%, TTM operating margin of 30.5%, TTM net margin of 30.1%, and ROE of 40.4% reflect a durabl…
McDonald's operates a globally scaled, approximately 95% franchised restaurant system with 46,028 restaurants in more than 100 countries, combining a powerful consumer brand, real-estate-backed franchise economics, supplier scale and digital loyalty reach. Business quality is high despite meaningful leverage: TTM gross, operating and net margins are 57.4%, 45.8% and 31.7%, respectively, while loy…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
AMAT |
MCD |
| Zone Low |
$343.46 |
$266.78 |
| Zone High |
$389.26 |
$302.35 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|