YUM vs. MCD

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about YUM! Brands, Inc. (YUM) and McDonald's Corporation (MCD).

Performance

YUM vs. MCD - Performance Comparison

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

YUM vs. MCD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
YUM YUM! Brands, Inc.	3.25%	14.94%	4.72%	3.93%	-5.99%	30.05%	9.85%	11.41%	14.61%	31.09%
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 YUM : $43.22B MCD : $221.97B
EPS YUM : $5.57 MCD : $11.96
PE Ratio YUM : 27.92 MCD : 25.98
PEG Ratio YUM : 12.60 MCD : 4.20
PS Ratio YUM : 5.30 MCD : 8.28
Total Revenue (TTM) YUM : $8.21B MCD : $26.89B
Gross Profit (TTM) YUM : $2.67B MCD : $15.31B
EBITDA (TTM) YUM : $2.71B MCD : $14.22B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, YUM achieves a 3.25% return, which is significantly higher than MCD's 2.26% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with YUM having a 12.20% annualized return and MCD not far behind at 12.03%.

YUM

• 1D: 0.58%
• 1M: -7.54%
• YTD: 3.25%
• 6M: 3.25%
• 1Y: 0.71%
• 3Y*: 7.63%
• 5Y*: 9.22%
• 10Y*: 12.20%

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

YUM vs. MCD — Risk / Return Rank

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

YUM

YUM Risk / Return Rank: 41
YUM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 43
YUM Sortino Ratio Rank: 35
YUM Omega Ratio Rank: 35
YUM Calmar Ratio Rank: 46
YUM Martin Ratio Rank: 45

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.

YUM vs. MCD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for YUM! Brands, Inc. (YUM) 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.

	YUM	MCD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.03	0.10	-0.07
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.20	0.27	-0.07
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.03	1.03	-0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.13	0.33	-0.21
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.22	0.79	-0.56
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

YUM vs. MCD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current YUM Sharpe Ratio is 0.03, which is lower than the MCD Sharpe Ratio of 0.10. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of YUM 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

	YUM	MCD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.03	0.10	-0.07
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.46	0.54	-0.08
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.54	0.59	-0.05
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.49	0.54	-0.05

Correlation

The correlation between YUM and MCD is 0.48, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

YUM vs. MCD - Dividend Comparison

YUM's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.85%, less than MCD's 2.34% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
YUM YUM! Brands, Inc.	1.85%	1.88%	2.00%	1.85%	1.78%	1.44%	1.73%	1.67%	1.57%	1.47%	41.26%	2.31%
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

YUM vs. MCD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum YUM drawdown since its inception was -67.69%, smaller than the maximum MCD drawdown of -73.20%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for YUM and MCD.

Drawdown Indicators

	YUM	MCD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-67.69%	-73.20%	+5.51%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.88%	-10.60%	-3.28%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-23.10%	-17.23%	-5.87%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-52.17%	-36.90%	-15.27%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.54%	-8.37%	+0.83%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-12.41%	-14.90%	+2.49%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	7.80%	4.52%	+3.28%

Volatility

YUM vs. MCD - Volatility Comparison

YUM! Brands, Inc. (YUM) has a higher volatility of 5.66% compared to McDonald's Corporation (MCD) at 4.79%. This indicates that YUM'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

	YUM	MCD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.66%	4.79%	+0.87%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	15.91%	11.76%	+4.15%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	22.97%	17.27%	+5.70%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	20.20%	17.06%	+3.14%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	22.64%	20.32%	+2.32%

Financials

YUM vs. MCD - Profitability Comparison

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

YUM - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, YUM! Brands, Inc. reported a gross profit of 0.00 and revenue of 2.51B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 0.0%.

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%.

YUM - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, YUM! Brands, Inc. reported an operating income of 738.00M and revenue of 2.51B, resulting in an operating margin of 29.4%.

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%.

YUM - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, YUM! Brands, Inc. reported a net income of 535.00M and revenue of 2.51B, resulting in a net margin of 21.3%.

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%.