Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. EAT scored 67.4, MCD scored 64.4 — EAT leads.
Compare another set
EAT
Brinker International, Inc.
Restaurants · Quality-Growth
67.4
$193.87 · $8.1B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
3.0
EAT leads
MCD
McDonald's Corporation
Restaurants · Quality-Growth
64.4
$235.23 · $166.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestEAT17.8x
Fastest growthEAT+7.9%
Highest qualityMCD90 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
EAT
stronger →← stronger
MCD
81
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
90
73
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
58
52
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
51
EAT is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
EAT
MCD
$558mC+
FCF
$7.8bB+
+7.9%B
Rev
+6.3%C+
3.96D
D/E
Negative equity
17.8xB
P/E
19.1xB
1.70C+
PEG
2.50C
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
EAT
MCD
3% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
35% above
~8%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~13%/yr
-10%
1-yr DCF upside
-29%
-3%
5-yr DCF upside
-26%
+8%
10-yr DCF upside
-22%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
EAT
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
MCD
Why this score
Raising its dividend
Durable high returns
The companies
EATBrinker International, Inc.
Restaurants · $193.87 · beta 1.26
Why now
Restaurants · market cap $8.1b. Down 24% from 52-week high of $254.99 — deep drawdown territory. 22 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $262.59 (implying +35% upside).
Moat
FCF converts 114% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
D/E 3.96 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer.
MCDMcDonald's Corporation
Restaurants · $235.23 · beta 0.45
Why now
Restaurants · market cap $166.5b. Down 31% from 52-week high of $341.75 — deep drawdown territory. 29 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $292.21 (implying +24% upside).
Moat
Net margin 32% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. $166.5b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Down 31% from the 52-week high — the market is pricing in something the screen can't see; verify the bear case before sizing up.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where EAT and MCD diverge
On the headline score the gap is 3.0 points in favor of EAT. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
GrowthEAT 73.4 · MCD 58.2EAT +15.2
QualityEAT 80.8 · MCD 90.2MCD +9.4
ValueEAT 51.7 · MCD 50.8level
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is EAT or MCD the better stock?
EAT scores higher: EAT 67.4, MCD 64.4 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do EAT and MCD differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where EAT leads by 15 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are EAT and MCD scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.