MCD vs PANW: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of McDonald's Corporation and Palo Alto Networks, 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
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. · Technology
$174.41
-0.1% upside to fair value
Grade B
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 |
MCD |
PANW |
| Current Price |
$275.75 |
$174.41 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$327.62 |
$174.18 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+18.8%
|
-0.1%
|
| Market Cap |
$196.0B |
$118.9B |
| Forward P/E |
22.6x
|
94.6x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
16.7x
|
52.3x
|
| Price / Sales |
7.1x
|
12.0x
|
| Price / FCF |
27.9x
|
29.2x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+9.4%
|
+14.9%
|
| Gross Margin |
57.4%
|
73.5%
|
| Operating Margin |
46.0%
|
14.4%
|
| Return on Equity |
-434.0%
|
15.5%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.59%
|
3.42%
|
| 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…
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is a leading global cybersecurity company specializing in AI-driven security platforms with a strong recurring revenue base exceeding 80% of total revenue. The company benefits from a high gross margin of 73.5% and solid profitability with a net margin of 13.0%, supported by accelerating revenue growth of 14.9% and earnings growth of 61.6% in the most recent quarter. Unde…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MCD |
PANW |
| Zone Low |
$245.72 |
$130.63 |
| Zone High |
$278.48 |
$148.05 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
No
|