MCD vs PLTR: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of McDonald's Corporation and Palantir Technologies Inc. β fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-05-09.
McDonald's Corporation Β· Consumer Cyclical
$275.75
+18.8% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Palantir Technologies Inc. Β· Technology
$133.79
-41.7% upside to fair value
Grade C
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 β not personalized investment advice.
See all research β
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MCD |
PLTR |
| Current Price |
$275.75 |
$133.79 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$327.62 |
$78.04 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+18.8%
|
-41.7%
|
| Market Cap |
$196.0B |
$306.6B |
| Forward P/E |
22.6x
|
140.4x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
16.7x
|
151.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
7.1x
|
58.7x
|
| Price / FCF |
27.9x
|
114.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+9.4%
|
+84.7%
|
| Gross Margin |
57.4%
|
84.1%
|
| Operating Margin |
46.0%
|
38.1%
|
| Return on Equity |
-434.0%
|
32.2%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.59%
|
0.88%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
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 regiβ¦
Palantir Technologies Inc. is a high-growth enterprise software company specializing in data analytics and intelligence platforms for government and commercial clients. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat through its established government contracts, proprietary platforms Gotham and Foundry, and expanding commercial footprint. Palantir's revenue grew 84.7% year-over-year in the mβ¦
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MCD |
PLTR |
| Zone Low |
$245.72 |
$58.53 |
| Zone High |
$278.48 |
$66.33 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
No
|