DRI vs. MCD

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) and McDonald's Corporation (MCD).

Performance

DRI vs. MCD - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) and McDonald's Corporation (MCD). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

DRI vs. MCD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
DRI Darden Restaurants, Inc.	7.33%	1.56%	17.70%	22.83%	-4.84%	29.48%	10.45%	12.29%	6.89%	35.99%
MCD McDonald's Corporation	2.26%	7.89%	0.14%	15.06%	0.51%	27.79%	11.30%	13.97%	5.78%	45.05%

Fundamentals

Market Cap DRI : $22.88B MCD : $221.97B
EPS DRI : $9.43 MCD : $11.96
PE Ratio DRI : 20.79 MCD : 25.98
PEG Ratio DRI : 1.14 MCD : 4.20
PS Ratio DRI : 1.80 MCD : 8.28
Total Revenue (TTM) DRI : $12.76B MCD : $26.89B
Gross Profit (TTM) DRI : $7.34B MCD : $15.31B
EBITDA (TTM) DRI : $1.80B MCD : $14.22B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, DRI achieves a 7.33% return, which is significantly higher than MCD's 2.26% return. Over the past 10 years, DRI has outperformed MCD with an annualized return of 14.57%, while MCD has yielded a comparatively lower 12.03% annualized return.

DRI

• 1D: 0.51%
• 1M: -8.33%
• YTD: 7.33%
• 6M: 4.59%
• 1Y: -2.80%
• 3Y*: 11.69%
• 5Y*: 9.83%
• 10Y*: 14.57%

MCD

• 1D: 0.73%
• 1M: -8.37%
• YTD: 2.26%
• 6M: 3.46%
• 1Y: 1.80%
• 3Y*: 6.00%
• 5Y*: 9.10%
• 10Y*: 12.03%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

DRI vs. MCD — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

DRI

DRI Risk / Return Rank: 36
DRI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 37
DRI Sortino Ratio Rank: 31
DRI Omega Ratio Rank: 30
DRI Calmar Ratio Rank: 40
DRI Martin Ratio Rank: 40

MCD

MCD Risk / Return Rank: 44
MCD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 46
MCD Sortino Ratio Rank: 37
MCD Omega Ratio Rank: 37
MCD Calmar Ratio Rank: 51
MCD Martin Ratio Rank: 52

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

DRI vs. MCD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) and McDonald's Corporation (MCD). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	DRI	MCD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.11	0.10	-0.22
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.02	0.27	-0.25
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.00	1.03	-0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.07	0.33	-0.40
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.14	0.79	-0.92
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

DRI vs. MCD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current DRI Sharpe Ratio is -0.11, which is lower than the MCD Sharpe Ratio of 0.10. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of DRI and MCD, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	DRI	MCD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.11	0.10	-0.22
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.36	0.54	-0.17
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.41	0.59	-0.19
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.41	0.54	-0.13

Correlation

The correlation between DRI and MCD is 0.36, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

DRI vs. MCD - Dividend Comparison

DRI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.01%, more than MCD's 2.34% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
DRI Darden Restaurants, Inc.	3.01%	3.15%	2.90%	3.07%	3.34%	2.29%	0.99%	2.99%	2.76%	2.48%	2.92%	13.76%
MCD McDonald's Corporation	2.34%	2.35%	2.34%	2.10%	2.15%	1.96%	2.35%	2.39%	2.36%	2.23%	2.97%	2.91%

Drawdowns

DRI vs. MCD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum DRI drawdown since its inception was -72.80%, roughly equal to the maximum MCD drawdown of -73.20%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for DRI and MCD.

Drawdown Indicators

	DRI	MCD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-72.80%	-73.20%	+0.40%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-23.92%	-10.60%	-13.32%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-28.38%	-17.23%	-11.15%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-72.80%	-36.90%	-35.90%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-11.20%	-8.37%	-2.83%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-13.02%	-14.90%	+1.88%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	11.15%	4.52%	+6.63%

Volatility

DRI vs. MCD - Volatility Comparison

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI) has a higher volatility of 8.63% compared to McDonald's Corporation (MCD) at 4.79%. This indicates that DRI's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than MCD based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	DRI	MCD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	8.63%	4.79%	+3.84%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	18.56%	11.76%	+6.80%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	25.51%	17.27%	+8.24%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	27.22%	17.06%	+10.16%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	35.86%	20.32%	+15.54%

Financials

DRI vs. MCD - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Darden Restaurants, Inc. and McDonald's Corporation over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

DRI - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Darden Restaurants, Inc. reported a gross profit of 2.32B and revenue of 3.35B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 69.3%.

MCD - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, McDonald's Corporation reported a gross profit of 3.91B and revenue of 7.01B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 55.8%.

DRI - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Darden Restaurants, Inc. reported an operating income of 406.40M and revenue of 3.35B, resulting in an operating margin of 12.2%.

MCD - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, McDonald's Corporation reported an operating income of 3.16B and revenue of 7.01B, resulting in an operating margin of 45.1%.

DRI - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Darden Restaurants, Inc. reported a net income of 306.80M and revenue of 3.35B, resulting in a net margin of 9.2%.

MCD - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, McDonald's Corporation reported a net income of 2.16B and revenue of 7.01B, resulting in a net margin of 30.9%.