Head to head · SEC data as of September 11, 2026
McDonald's
80
Quality score · out of 100
Yum! Brands
76
Quality score · out of 100
McDonald's comes in ahead: a quality score of 80 versus 76 for Yum! Brands. McDonald's wins on net margin (31.7% vs 25.4%), cash generation (FCF) (28% vs 19.3%) and less debt (3× vs 3.95×). Yum! Brands answers with earnings growth (17.7% vs 12.9%).
| Metric | McDonald's | Yum! Brands |
|---|---|---|
| Quality score (0-100) | 80 | 76 |
| Net margin | 31.7% | 25.4% |
| Gross margin | — | — |
| ROE | — | — |
| Net debt/EBITDA | 3× | 3.95× |
| FCF margin | 28% | 19.3% |
| Revenue growth (annualized) | 6.9% | 8.2% |
| Earnings growth (annualized) | 12.9% | 17.7% |
TTM metrics with official SEC data, refreshed daily. Bold green marks the winner of each metric. A dash means the metric doesn't apply or isn't reliable.
McDonald's. McDonald's is the world's largest fast-food chain. It largely operates as a real-estate franchise business: most of its restaurants are run by franchisees who pay it rent and royalties, giving it very stable income.
Yum! Brands. Yum! Brands owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut: over 55,000 restaurants worldwide, nearly all franchised. It doesn't sell chicken: it collects royalties on franchisees' sales — a capital-light, high-margin model.
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What this comparison doesn't tell you
The score measures business quality, not whether the stock is cheap or expensive: the better company can be the worse investment if you overpay. For the valuation verdict, enter each one's current price in the analyzer:
Who has the stronger fundamentals today, McDonald's or Yum! Brands?
By the StockSemáforo model (profitability, growth and financial strength, built on official SEC data), McDonald's scores higher: 80 versus 76 out of 100. The score is recomputed nightly with the latest filings.
Does that make McDonald's the better investment?
No. The score measures business quality, not valuation: an excellent company can trade at an excessive price and be a poor investment at that price. To find out whether it's cheap or expensive, enter its current quote in the StockSemáforo analyzer.
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Who's behind the methodology and model · how the score is computed
Data: official SEC filings (EDGAR) · Recomputed on September 11, 2026
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