MCD vs. WEN

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about McDonald's Corporation (MCD) and The Wendy's Company (WEN).

Performance

MCD vs. WEN - Performance Comparison

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

MCD vs. WEN - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
MCD McDonald's Corporation	2.26%	7.89%	0.14%	15.06%	0.51%	27.79%	11.30%	13.97%	5.78%	45.05%
WEN The Wendy's Company	-15.01%	-45.81%	-11.45%	-9.65%	-2.77%	10.98%	0.07%	45.34%	-3.02%	23.78%

Fundamentals

Market Cap MCD : $221.97B WEN : $1.32B
EPS MCD : $11.96 WEN : $0.86
PE Ratio MCD : 25.98 WEN : 8.08
PS Ratio MCD : 8.28 WEN : 0.61
Total Revenue (TTM) MCD : $26.89B WEN : $2.18B
Gross Profit (TTM) MCD : $15.31B WEN : $591.36M
EBITDA (TTM) MCD : $14.22B WEN : $487.61M

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, MCD achieves a 2.26% return, which is significantly higher than WEN's -15.01% return. Over the past 10 years, MCD has outperformed WEN with an annualized return of 12.03%, while WEN has yielded a comparatively lower -1.40% annualized return.

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%

WEN

• 1D: 2.51%
• 1M: -7.58%
• YTD: -15.01%
• 6M: -21.41%
• 1Y: -49.52%
• 3Y*: -27.66%
• 5Y*: -15.99%
• 10Y*: -1.40%

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

Return for Risk

MCD vs. WEN — Risk / Return Rank

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

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

WEN

WEN Risk / Return Rank: 5
WEN Sharpe Ratio Rank: 1
WEN Sortino Ratio Rank: 2
WEN Omega Ratio Rank: 4
WEN Calmar Ratio Rank: 4
WEN Martin Ratio Rank: 12

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.

MCD vs. WEN - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for McDonald's Corporation (MCD) and The Wendy's Company (WEN). 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.

	MCD	WEN	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.10	-1.24	+1.35
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.27	-2.18	+2.45
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.03	0.77	+0.27
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.33	-0.97	+1.30
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.79	-1.44	+2.22
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

MCD vs. WEN - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current MCD Sharpe Ratio is 0.10, which is higher than the WEN Sharpe Ratio of -1.24. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of MCD and WEN, 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

	MCD	WEN	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.10	-1.24	+1.35
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.54	-0.51	+1.04
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.59	-0.04	+0.63
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.54	0.05	+0.49

Correlation

The correlation between MCD and WEN is 0.27, 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

MCD vs. WEN - Dividend Comparison

MCD's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.34%, less than WEN's 8.06% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
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%
WEN The Wendy's Company	8.06%	8.04%	6.13%	5.13%	2.21%	1.80%	1.32%	1.89%	2.18%	1.71%	1.81%	2.09%

Drawdowns

MCD vs. WEN - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum MCD drawdown since its inception was -73.20%, smaller than the maximum WEN drawdown of -86.71%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for MCD and WEN.

Drawdown Indicators

	MCD	WEN	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-73.20%	-86.71%	+13.51%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-10.60%	-51.05%	+40.45%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-17.23%	-70.81%	+53.58%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-36.90%	-70.81%	+33.91%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-8.37%	-70.08%	+61.71%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-14.90%	-40.50%	+25.60%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.52%	34.48%	-29.96%

Volatility

MCD vs. WEN - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for McDonald's Corporation (MCD) is 4.79%, while The Wendy's Company (WEN) has a volatility of 9.26%. This indicates that MCD experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than WEN based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	MCD	WEN	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.79%	9.26%	-4.47%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	11.76%	30.90%	-19.14%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	17.27%	39.97%	-22.70%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	17.06%	31.68%	-14.62%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.32%	36.59%	-16.27%

Financials

MCD vs. WEN - Profitability Comparison

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

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%.

WEN - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, The Wendy's Company reported a gross profit of 131.45M and revenue of 542.97M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 24.2%.

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%.

WEN - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, The Wendy's Company reported an operating income of 64.37M and revenue of 542.97M, resulting in an operating margin of 11.9%.

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%.

WEN - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, The Wendy's Company reported a net income of 26.48M and revenue of 542.97M, resulting in a net margin of 4.9%.