Home Compare MCD vs MSFT
Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

McDonald's vs Microsoft: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

The structural profiles are close, with McDonald's carrying a narrow edge on stability. Microsoft still has the edge on profitability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

Most of the lead runs through stability, while growth helps make the separation broader.

Trajectory Similarity
0.66
Moderately similar
Peer-set rank: #10
within McDonald's Corporation's functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

The pair shares a valid long-term profile match, but the trajectories are not especially close.

Most of the shared profile comes through revenue stability and operating margin level.

Similarity drivers
revenue stabilityoperating margin level
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
MCD
McDonald's Corporation
60
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
MSFT
Microsoft Corporation
58
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: MCD vs MSFT Profitability 36 60 Stability 80 50 Valuation 69 64 Growth 63 51 MCD MSFT
Gap Ranking
#1 Stability +30
#2 Profitability +24
#3 Growth +12
#4 Valuation +5
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for MCD and MSFT Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer MCDMSFT Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup is mixed: neither company clearly combines the stronger profile with the more supportive price setup.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where MCD and MSFT each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY MCD Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 16 pct gap MSFT Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 61st 77th
Today MCD sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (61st percentile), while MSFT sits higher in its own history (77th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, MCD is at a historically more favourable entry position than MSFT. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Stability
Both rank well on stability, but McDonald's Corporation still holds a clear edge.
Profitability
Microsoft Corporation sits in the stronger part of the group on profitability, while McDonald's Corporation is closer to mid-pack.
Stability — Dominant Gap
MCD
80
MSFT
50
Gap+30in favour of MCD

The clearest distance comes from a steadier profile over time.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

There is still a strong counterforce in profitability, so the lead stays clear without becoming a sweep.

What this means for the comparison

Stability is the clearest driver of the lead, with profitability adding further support — though profitability still provides a real counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the MCD vs MSFT comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how MCD and MSFT each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.