MCD vs UNH: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of McDonald's Corporation and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated — 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
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated · Healthcare
$353.52
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
UNH 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 |
UNH |
| Current Price |
$275.75 |
$353.52 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$327.62 |
$512.60 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+18.8%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$196.0B |
$320.9B |
| Forward P/E |
22.6x
|
26.7x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
16.7x
|
16.1x
|
| Price / Sales |
7.1x
|
0.7x
|
| Price / FCF |
27.9x
|
16.3x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+9.4%
|
+2.0%
|
| Gross Margin |
57.4%
|
18.8%
|
| Operating Margin |
46.0%
|
4.2%
|
| Return on Equity |
-434.0%
|
12.4%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.59%
|
6.13%
|
| 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…
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a leading healthcare company with two main platforms: UnitedHealthcare, providing health benefits coverage, and Optum, offering information and technology services. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat due to its scale, integrated platforms, and broad market reach serving over 170 million consumers. Despite strong revenue growth of 12% y…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MCD |
UNH |
| Zone Low |
$245.72 |
$384.45 |
| Zone High |
$278.48 |
$435.71 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|