Mcdonalds vs Yum Brands (MCD vs YUM)
Side by side from their SEC filings: revenue, margins, growth, returns and valuation, plus short interest, insider activity and institutional ownership.
Mcdonalds is the larger company by revenue ($26.9B vs $8.2B) and market value ($184.8B vs $41.5B). Yum Brands has grown revenue faster over the last 4 fiscal years (+24.8% cumulative vs +15.8%). Mcdonalds runs the higher operating margin (46.1% vs 31.3%). Yum Brands trades at the lower trailing P/E (19.1x vs 21.4x).
About Yum Brands
Yum Brands Inc operates a global system of quick service restaurants primarily under the KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger & Grill brands. The company franchises most of its over 63,000 restaurants in 155 countries, serving customers with fried chicken, Mexican-inspired food, pizza, and chargrilled burgers. Yum Brands supports its franchisees through operational standards, technology, and marketing to maintain consistency and quality across its restaurant concepts.
Head to head (MCD FY2025 vs YUM FY2025)
| Metric | MCDFY2025 | YUMFY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $26.89B | $8.21B |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 3.7% | 8.8% |
| Gross margin | — | 69.8% |
| Operating margin | 46.1% | 31.3% |
| Net margin | 31.9% | 19.0% |
| Net income | $8.56B | $1.56B |
| Diluted EPS | $11.95 | $5.55 |
| FCF margin | 26.7% | 20.0% |
| ROE | — | — |
| Long-term debt / equity | — | — |
| Market cap | $184.77B | $41.49B |
| P/E | 21.4× | 19.1× |
Fundamentals are from each company’s SEC filings (MCD FY2025, YUM FY2025). ROE is net income over fiscal-year-end equity; long-term debt / equity counts non-current term debt only. P/E and market cap are derived from stored market prices, last retrieved on a rolling basis and typically within the past week.
Five-year trend (as reported)
| Revenue | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCD | $23.22B | $23.18B | $25.49B | $25.92B | $26.89B |
| YUM | $6.58B | $6.84B | $7.08B | $7.55B | $8.21B |
Peer standing
Where each company ranks among the 42 restaurant companies, on the same scale. Each figure is ranked only against peers that report it. Percentiles describe position in the distribution, not a rating.
| Metric | MCD | YUM |
|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 46.1%Highest of 40 | 31.3%97th percentile of 40 |
| Net margin | 31.9%Highest of 42 | 19.0%95th percentile of 42 |
| FCF margin | 26.7%Highest of 42 | 20.0%98th percentile of 42 |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +3.7%41st percentile of 42 | +8.8%63rd percentile of 42 |
| P/E | 21.4×38th percentile of 27 | 19.1×23rd percentile of 27 |
| Short interest (days to cover) | 2.32d25th percentile of 41 | 3.55d50th percentile of 41 |
Short interest
| FINRA settlement data | MCD | YUM |
|---|---|---|
| Shares sold short | 11.1M | 8.6M |
| Change vs prior settlement | -9.8% | +14.2% |
| Days to cover | 2.32 | 3.55 |
| As of settlement | 2026-08-14 | 2026-08-14 |
Source: FINRA Consolidated Short Interest. FINRA is the owner and source of the FINRA-supplied data; republishing or redistributing it is not permitted. Not presented as a percentage of float. No FINRA endorsement of this product is implied.
Insider activity (last 90 days)
| Form 4 activity (codes P/S) | MCD | YUM |
|---|---|---|
| Buys | 0 | 0 |
| Sells | 1 ($1.5M) | 9 ($3.0M) |
Non-derivative purchases (code P) and sales (code S) reported on SEC Form 4, which may be open-market or private (grants, exercises and tax withholding excluded). For context, about 15% of covered companies saw any reported insider purchase (code P) in a 90-day window.
Held by the same investors
8 tracked 13F managers hold both Mcdonalds and Yum Brands as of their latest quarterly filings: AQR Capital Management, Bridgewater Associates, Citadel Advisors, D. E. Shaw, Gotham Asset Management, Millennium Management, Point72 Asset Management, Renaissance Technologies. See which superinvestors hold your own portfolio with the smart money checker.
Go deeper
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Data sourced from SEC EDGAR. Figures are as-reported and may be unaudited or restated; verify against the source filings before relying on them. Comparisons are descriptive (higher or lower on a reported figure), not a rating or a recommendation. Informational only. Not investment advice.