Value
5.1/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| P/E | 5.8 |
| P/S | 5.5 |
| EV/EBITDA | 2.1 |
| Fwd P/E | 6.7 |
| PEG | 4.0 |
| Analyst target | 6.0 |
- ▸Forward P/E: 19.0x
- ▸PEG: 2.47
MCD · Why this verdict
Why McDonald's (MCD) is rated BUY WAIT
Updated
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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VerdictBUY WAIT
Overall score5.8/10
ConfidenceMEDIUM
MacroNEUTRAL
Thesis pillars
| Pillar | Expectation | Trend |
|---|---|---|
Strong margins of 32%, a Piotroski financial health score of 8 out of 9, and a beta of 0.41 characterize a highly stable, franchise-backed business with well-above-average earnings consistency relative to most consumer-sector peers. Quality breakdown | Reported margins sustain at or above the current 32% level and the Piotroski score remains at 8 or higher for the next four reported quarters. | →Stable |
| CounterIf consumer spending softness pressures same-store sales, the franchise fee structure that underpins the margin profile could be tested and margins may compress, eroding the quality premium embedded in the current valuation. | ||
Free cash flow converts at approximately 69 cents per dollar of net income — triggering a flagged earnings quality warning — and a high indicated payout figure raises the question of whether free cash generation is sufficient to sustain distributions without straining the balance sheet. Quality breakdown | If wrong, free cash flow conversion rises above 85% of net income for 2 consecutive reported periods, confirming the gap between earnings and cash generation has narrowed. | →Stable |
| CounterA 69% free-cash-flow-to-net-income ratio is a concern but not a crisis; many capital-intensive franchise businesses run below 100% during periods of elevated reinvestment, and the ratio could recover if capital spending normalizes. | ||
Three of the past four reported quarters produced positive earnings surprises including the two most recent, establishing a pattern of steady under-promising and over-delivering that has been consistent enough to appear in the bull-case assessment. Catalyst breakdown | The company reports a positive earnings surprise in each of the next 2 reported quarters, extending the beat pattern. | →Stable |
| CounterThe average earnings surprise across all four quarters is less than 1%, and a miss quarter was embedded between beat periods; the beat streak is real but its predictive power is limited by the narrow magnitude of the outperformance. | ||
Although price is below the 200-day moving average, improving MACD and rising on-balance volume support a 1.86-to-1 risk/reward with 6.5% remaining to the $304.79 analyst consensus target; the negative moving-average crossover has been exempted given the quality and momentum profile clearing the required thresholds. Engine gate (passed) | Price closes above $300 and sustains that level for 3 consecutive weeks, confirming the recovery is gaining traction toward the consensus target. | →Stable |
| CounterA stock below its 200-day moving average with a flat slope can remain range-bound for extended periods; the 6.5% upside is attractive on a risk/reward basis but modest in absolute terms, and any further pullback could compress the asymmetry ratio below the minimum required level. | ||
Strong margins of 32%, a Piotroski financial health score of 8 out of 9, and a beta of 0.41 characterize a highly stable, franchise-backed business with well-above-average earnings consistency relative to most consumer-sector peers.
→StableQuality breakdown
- Expectation
- Reported margins sustain at or above the current 32% level and the Piotroski score remains at 8 or higher for the next four reported quarters.
CounterIf consumer spending softness pressures same-store sales, the franchise fee structure that underpins the margin profile could be tested and margins may compress, eroding the quality premium embedded in the current valuation.
Free cash flow converts at approximately 69 cents per dollar of net income — triggering a flagged earnings quality warning — and a high indicated payout figure raises the question of whether free cash generation is sufficient to sustain distributions without straining the balance sheet.
→StableQuality breakdown
- Expectation
- If wrong, free cash flow conversion rises above 85% of net income for 2 consecutive reported periods, confirming the gap between earnings and cash generation has narrowed.
CounterA 69% free-cash-flow-to-net-income ratio is a concern but not a crisis; many capital-intensive franchise businesses run below 100% during periods of elevated reinvestment, and the ratio could recover if capital spending normalizes.
Three of the past four reported quarters produced positive earnings surprises including the two most recent, establishing a pattern of steady under-promising and over-delivering that has been consistent enough to appear in the bull-case assessment.
→StableCatalyst breakdown
- Expectation
- The company reports a positive earnings surprise in each of the next 2 reported quarters, extending the beat pattern.
CounterThe average earnings surprise across all four quarters is less than 1%, and a miss quarter was embedded between beat periods; the beat streak is real but its predictive power is limited by the narrow magnitude of the outperformance.
Although price is below the 200-day moving average, improving MACD and rising on-balance volume support a 1.86-to-1 risk/reward with 6.5% remaining to the $304.79 analyst consensus target; the negative moving-average crossover has been exempted given the quality and momentum profile clearing the required thresholds.
→StableEngine gate (passed)
- Expectation
- Price closes above $300 and sustains that level for 3 consecutive weeks, confirming the recovery is gaining traction toward the consensus target.
CounterA stock below its 200-day moving average with a flat slope can remain range-bound for extended periods; the 6.5% upside is attractive on a risk/reward basis but modest in absolute terms, and any further pullback could compress the asymmetry ratio below the minimum required level.
TrendMatrix Research · core thesis
Engine thesis — one sentence
McDonald's combines a high-quality franchise with strong margins, three of four recent quarterly beats, a low-volatility defensive profile, and a favorable risk/reward of 1.86-to-1 with 6.5% remaining to the analyst consensus target; a free cash flow conversion rate of 69% of net income and a flagged high dividend figure warrant monitoring of cash generation quality before increasing exposure.
Falsifiable statement — pillar-level invalidators below. Engine-derived; not personalized advice.
Per-dimension breakdown
Quality
7.7/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| ROA | 9.0 |
| Gross margin | 7.5 |
| Op margin | 10.0 |
| Net margin | 10.0 |
| Current ratio | 4.4 |
| FCF quality | 5.2 |
| Moat | 6.4 |
| Piotroski F | 8.9 |
- ▸Strong margins: 32%
- ▸Earnings quality warning: 69% FCF/NI
- ▸Strong Piotroski F-Score: 8/9
- ▸High-quality business
Growth
4.1/10data confidence 67%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| Rev growth | 4.8 |
| EPS growth | 3.4 |
Momentum
4.3/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| RSI | 3.5 |
| MACD | 0.0 |
| OBV | 10.0 |
| MA position | 1.0 |
| Volume | 6.9 |
- ▸Volume accumulation (rising OBV)
- ▸Below 200-MA, MA slope -1.2%/30d — confirmed downtrend
Sentiment
7.3/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| LLM sentiment | 6.5 |
| Analyst rating | 7.5 |
| Price target | 8.0 |
- ▸Analyst upside: 23%
Insider
5.0/10data confidence 50%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| materiality | 5.0 |
| holder change | 5.1 |
- ▸Negligible insider selling — $3,262,622 (0.002% of mkt cap)
Peer rank
5.8/10data confidence 80%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| value rank | 3.4 |
| quality rank | 9.5 |
| growth rank | 5.5 |
- ▸Best-in-class margins
Technical
7.3/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| bollinger | 8.1 |
| support resistance | 7.9 |
| 52w position | 6.0 |
Risk (lower is worse)
8.4/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| short interest | 9.2 |
| days to cover | 8.4 |
| volatility | 7.3 |
| put call | 8.0 |
| implied vol | 7.4 |
| beta | 10.0 |
Catalyst
5.2/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| erm | 5.0 |
| earnings history | 6.7 |
| earnings timing | 5.0 |
| surprise avg | 2.9 |
| dividend safety | 6.5 |
| news activity | 5.0 |
- ▸Strong earnings: 3B/1M
- ▸Dividend: 276.0%
How the verdict was assembled
Engine trigger
Maintain position. Not compelling to add more. | News modifier +2 (HOLD_IF_HOLDING → STRONG_BUY_WAIT).
Engine technical detail
verdict_path:
L4:PATH_F_HOLD|L3:NEWS_MOD=+2|ENTRY_STICKY:PRIOR_STILL_VIABLEPassed (6)
- ASYMMETRY:2.6>=1.5
- INSIDER:OK
- NEWS_EVENTS:NONE_RECENT
- EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:39d clear
- SEMI_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
- MATERIALS_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
Failed (2)
- MOMENTUM:4.3<4.5
- DEATH_CROSS:HARD_BLOCK
Warning (1)
- 8K_CSUITE_CHANGE:5.02 (officer departure/appointment)
Reward-to-Risk
2.57
Upside
+12.9%
Downside
5.0%
Sizing output
STARTER
SetupFalling Knife — Death cross, below all MAs, RSI 40, MACD bearish
EdgeNo clear edge — No clear edge identified
SuitabilityConservative — Beta 0.41<0.8, Div 276.0%, Q=7.7
Investment implication
None of the engine's positive-conviction paths (C-quality, D-momentum) triggered — the F-path HOLD reflects balanced signals. Strongest-cleared gate: ASYMMETRY:2.6>=1.5. Top dim: Risk (lower is worse) at 8.4; weakest: Growth at 4.1. No conviction either direction.
The strongest dimensions are Risk (lower is worse) at 8.4, Quality at 7.7, and Sentiment at 7.3; the weakest are Growth at 4.1, Momentum at 4.3, and Insider at 5.0. The V9 engine flagged 2 failed gates with 1 warning, producing an asymmetric reward-to-risk of 2.57 and an engine sizing output of STARTER.
What would invalidate the thesis
Falsifying conditions — when triggered, the corresponding pillar's thesis is invalidated.
- P1High Quality Defensive Franchise
Trip ifReported margin falls below 20% for 2 consecutive quarters, from the currently reported 32%, indicating the franchise quality is deteriorating.
- P2Fcf Conversion Below Net Income
Trip ifFree cash flow conversion rises above 85% of net income for 2 consecutive reported periods, from the current 69%, confirming the earnings quality warning has resolved.
- P3Consistent Earnings Beat Streak
Trip ifEPS surprise falls below 0% for 2 consecutive quarters, ending the beat streak.
- P4Recovery Setup Favorable Asymmetry
Trip ifPrice closes above $304.79 (the analyst consensus target) for 3 consecutive weeks, confirming the recovery has successfully reached the upside target.