MCD vs MS: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of McDonald's Corporation and Morgan Stanley — 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
Morgan Stanley · Financial Services
$189.30
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MS has more upside to fair value
(+45.0%).
MS trades at a lower forward P/E
(16.4x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MCD |
MS |
| Current Price |
$275.75 |
$189.30 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$327.62 |
$274.49 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+18.8%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$196.0B |
$300.6B |
| Forward P/E |
22.6x
|
16.4x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
16.7x
|
24.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
7.1x
|
2.5x
|
| Price / FCF |
27.9x
|
-16.8x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+9.4%
|
+18.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
57.4%
|
58.0%
|
| Operating Margin |
46.0%
|
19.5%
|
| Return on Equity |
-434.0%
|
16.7%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.59%
|
—
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Hold
|
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…
Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm operating in Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat supported by its systemically important status, diversified revenue streams, and strong management with a 36-year veteran CEO. Despite solid fundamentals including 14.2% revenue growth in 2025 and 16.7%…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MCD |
MS |
| Zone Low |
$245.72 |
$205.87 |
| Zone High |
$278.48 |
$233.32 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|