SHEL vs. MCD

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Shell plc (SHEL) and McDonald's Corporation (MCD).

Performance

SHEL vs. MCD - Performance Comparison

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

SHEL vs. MCD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SHEL Shell plc	27.75%	22.16%	-0.87%	20.19%	36.18%	34.27%	-41.08%	6.38%	-7.23%	21.67%
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

EPS SHEL : $4.90 MCD : $11.96
PE Ratio SHEL : 18.97 MCD : 25.98
PEG Ratio SHEL : 0.82 MCD : 4.20
PS Ratio SHEL : 1.03 MCD : 8.28
Total Revenue (TTM) SHEL : $268.66B MCD : $26.89B
Gross Profit (TTM) SHEL : $40.60B MCD : $15.31B
EBITDA (TTM) SHEL : $53.98B MCD : $14.22B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SHEL achieves a 27.75% return, which is significantly higher than MCD's 2.26% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with SHEL having a 11.74% annualized return and MCD not far ahead at 12.03%.

SHEL

• 1D: 0.28%
• 1M: 11.36%
• YTD: 27.75%
• 6M: 32.48%
• 1Y: 32.01%
• 3Y*: 22.17%
• 5Y*: 24.77%
• 10Y*: 11.74%

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

SHEL vs. MCD — Risk / Return Rank

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

SHEL

SHEL Risk / Return Rank: 78
SHEL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 82
SHEL Sortino Ratio Rank: 74
SHEL Omega Ratio Rank: 77
SHEL Calmar Ratio Rank: 76
SHEL Martin Ratio Rank: 82

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.

SHEL vs. MCD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Shell plc (SHEL) 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.

	SHEL	MCD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.32	0.10	+1.22
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.76	0.27	+1.49
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.25	1.03	+0.22
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.79	0.33	+1.45
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	6.36	0.79	+5.58
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SHEL vs. MCD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SHEL Sharpe Ratio is 1.32, which is higher than the MCD Sharpe Ratio of 0.10. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SHEL 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

	SHEL	MCD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.32	0.10	+1.22
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.98	0.54	+0.45
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.38	0.59	-0.21
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.23	0.54	-0.31

Correlation

The correlation between SHEL and MCD is 0.23, 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

SHEL vs. MCD - Dividend Comparison

SHEL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.11%, more than MCD's 2.34% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
SHEL Shell plc	3.11%	3.90%	4.39%	3.76%	3.48%	3.78%	5.69%	6.27%	6.27%	2.75%	6.49%	8.17%
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

SHEL vs. MCD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SHEL drawdown since its inception was -71.57%, roughly equal to the maximum MCD drawdown of -73.20%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SHEL and MCD.

Drawdown Indicators

	SHEL	MCD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-71.57%	-73.20%	+1.63%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-18.21%	-10.60%	-7.61%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-25.04%	-17.23%	-7.81%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-71.57%	-36.90%	-34.67%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	0.00%	-8.37%	+8.37%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-16.83%	-14.90%	-1.93%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.19%	4.52%	+0.67%

Volatility

SHEL vs. MCD - Volatility Comparison

Shell plc (SHEL) has a higher volatility of 5.23% compared to McDonald's Corporation (MCD) at 4.79%. This indicates that SHEL'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

	SHEL	MCD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.23%	4.79%	+0.44%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	15.83%	11.76%	+4.07%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	24.34%	17.27%	+7.07%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	25.31%	17.06%	+8.25%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	30.85%	20.32%	+10.53%

Financials

SHEL vs. MCD - Profitability Comparison

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

SHEL - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Shell plc reported a gross profit of 11.33B and revenue of 67.74B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 16.7%.

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%.

SHEL - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Shell plc reported an operating income of 7.82B and revenue of 67.74B, resulting in an operating margin of 11.5%.

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%.

SHEL - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Shell plc reported a net income of 5.29B and revenue of 67.74B, resulting in a net margin of 7.8%.

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%.