MCD vs PLTR: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of McDonald's Corporation and Palantir Technologies Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-16.
McDonald's Corporation · Consumer Cyclical
$305.68
+4.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
VS
Palantir Technologies Inc. · Technology
$142.76
-24.3% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
QuantHub Verdict
MCD has more upside to fair value
(+4.7%).
MCD trades at a lower forward P/E
(24.5x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MCD |
PLTR |
| Current Price |
$305.68 |
$142.76 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$320.00 |
$108.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+4.7%
|
-24.3%
|
| Market Cap |
$218.1B |
$327.1B |
| Forward P/E |
24.5x
|
209.7x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
18.6x
|
—
|
| Price / Sales |
8.1x
|
73.1x
|
| Price / FCF |
30.3x
|
155.7x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+3.7%
|
+19.1%
|
| Gross Margin |
57.4%
|
82.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
46.1%
|
31.6%
|
| Return on Equity |
—
|
25.7%
|
| Dividend Yield |
2.4% |
— |
| FCF Yield |
3.3%
|
0.6%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Buy
|
Investment Thesis
McDonald's operates the world's largest quick-service restaurant franchise with over 40,000 locations across 100+ countries, generating $26.9B in FY2025 revenue with roughly 60% from franchised operations. The asset-light franchise model produces 46% operating margins and $7.2B in annual free cash flow. Revenue growth reaccelerated modestly to 3.7% in FY2025 from 1.7% in FY2024, driven by the Int…
Palantir Technologies develops data analytics and AI software platforms like Gotham and Foundry for government and commercial clients. The business excels with high margins (gross 82.4%, net 36.3%), accelerating growth (Q4 FY2025 revenue up 70% YoY to $1.41B, 2026 guidance $7.19B implying 61% growth), and strong moats in defense and enterprise AI, but trades expensively at 73x P/S versus 5-year m…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MCD |
PLTR |
| Zone Low |
$240.00 |
$81.00 |
| Zone High |
$272.00 |
$92.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|