MCD vs MELI: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of McDonald's Corporation and MercadoLibre, Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-05-09.
McDonald's Corporation · Consumer Cyclical
$275.75
+18.8% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
MercadoLibre, Inc. · Consumer Cyclical
$1,632.52
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MELI has more upside to fair value
(+45.0%).
MCD trades at a lower forward P/E
(22.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MCD |
MELI |
| Current Price |
$275.75 |
$1,632.52 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$327.62 |
$2,367.15 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+18.8%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$196.0B |
$82.8B |
| Forward P/E |
22.6x
|
43.1x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
16.7x
|
22.5x
|
| Price / Sales |
7.1x
|
2.7x
|
| Price / FCF |
27.9x
|
7.2x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+9.4%
|
+30.0%
|
| Gross Margin |
57.4%
|
45.5%
|
| Operating Margin |
46.0%
|
9.9%
|
| Return on Equity |
-434.0%
|
29.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.59%
|
13.89%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
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…
MercadoLibre, Inc. operates a leading e-commerce and fintech platform in Latin America, combining a dominant commerce marketplace with a rapidly growing fintech segment. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat driven by network effects, strong brand recognition, and a comprehensive logistics infrastructure. Despite a recent earnings growth decline of 15.6% in the most recent quarter,…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MCD |
MELI |
| Zone Low |
$245.72 |
$1,775.36 |
| Zone High |
$278.48 |
$2,012.08 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|