Which is better, MCD or YUM?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM) currently grades higher than MCD — 61/100 (C grade) vs 53/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — MCD wins on Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, and Peter Lynch; YUM wins on Warren Buffett, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy MCD or YUM?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both MCD and YUM are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is MCD better than YUM for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, YUM currently grades higher — 61/100 vs 53/100, a 8-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between MCD and YUM on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). MCD currently scores 53/100 (C grade); YUM scores 61/100 (C grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, MCD or YUM?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. MCD and YUM are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, MCD or YUM?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are MCD and YUM both Consumer Cyclical stocks?

Yes — both McDonald's Corporation (MCD) and Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM) operate in the Consumer Cyclical sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this MCD vs YUM comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

McDonald's

Yum! Brands

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

MCD

McDonald's

Market cap

$196.38B

Sector

Consumer Discretionary

YUM

Yum! Brands

Market cap

$41.91B

Sector

Consumer Discretionary

Overall winner

Yum! Brands YUM

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	MCD	YUM	Winner
Warren Buffett	53C	61C	YUM
Benjamin Graham	32F	30F	MCD
Philip Fisher

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	MCD	YUM
Market cap	$196.38B	$41.91B
P/E (TTM)	22.6x	24.2x
EV/EBIT	20.2x	21.0x
ROIC (TTM)	17.43%	31.39%
Gross margin	57.35%	45.67%
Net margin	31.62%	20.48%
Revenue CAGR 5y	3.73%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

MCD leads on

Debt / Equity-vs -+96%
Market cap$196.38Bvs $41.91B+79%
EPS CAGR 5y4.38%vs 1.34%+69%
Net margin31.62%vs 20.48%

More like MCD

MCD vs WINA MCD vs RACE MCD vs BKNG MCD vs ATAT MCD vs IHG MCD vs HLT

More like YUM

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.