MCD vs TTD: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of McDonald's Corporation and The Trade Desk, 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
The Trade Desk, Inc. · Technology
$23.08
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
TTD 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 |
TTD |
| Current Price |
$275.75 |
$23.08 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$327.62 |
$33.47 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+18.8%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$196.0B |
$10.8B |
| Forward P/E |
22.6x
|
25.3x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
16.7x
|
14.3x
|
| Price / Sales |
7.1x
|
3.6x
|
| Price / FCF |
27.9x
|
13.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+9.4%
|
+11.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
57.4%
|
77.8%
|
| Operating Margin |
46.0%
|
20.3%
|
| Return on Equity |
-434.0%
|
16.9%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.59%
|
7.71%
|
| 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…
The Trade Desk, Inc. operates a leading self-service, cloud-based programmatic advertising platform focused on demand-side platform services, primarily in connected TV and audio advertising. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat driven by network effects, high customer retention above 95%, and a founder-led management team with deep industry expertise. Despite solid revenue growth …
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MCD |
TTD |
| Zone Low |
$245.72 |
$25.10 |
| Zone High |
$278.48 |
$28.45 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|