McDonald's Corporation (MCD) vs NIKE, Inc. (NKE): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
As of 2026-06-19, MCD is overvalued at $279, with a DCF intrinsic value of $212 and a margin of safety of -32%. NKE is undervalued at $45, with an intrinsic value of $112 and a margin of safety of 60%. Of the two, NKE has the wider margin of safety.
Rewards
- ★McDonald's Corporation has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
- ★McDonald's Corporation scores 91/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
- ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $2.47 of earning power — management is an exceptional capital allocator.
- ★NIKE, Inc. has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
- ★Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.
- ★Insiders have bought $3.7M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant skin in the game.
Risks
- ⚠PEG ratio of 2.64 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
- ⚠6 insider sales totaling $3.4M with no purchases in the past 3 months — insiders are reducing their exposure.
- ⚠Free cash flow has declined at a 9.6% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.
Key Valuation Metrics
Learn more →Historical Fundamentals
Learn more →Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
$1 Retained Earnings Test
Learn more →> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis
Learn more →Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth
Learn more →What growth rate is the market pricing in at $279?
The market implies +12.9% Owner Earnings growth, roughly in line with history — reasonably priced.
Standard FCF implies +17.9%, reflecting ongoing growth investment.
What growth rate is the market pricing in at $45?
The market implies +7.3% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.
Standard FCF implies a demanding +8.7%, reflecting heavy growth investment.
Economic Moat Score
Learn more →Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Revenue Predictability is the standout factor.
Narrow moat with roic consistency as the key competitive advantage. Improving revenue predictability would strengthen the moat.
Forensic Accounting
Learn more →M-Score Trend
M-Score Trend
Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
Ownership Breakdown
Learn more →High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
Insider Buying Activity
Learn more →Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.
Insider Selling Activity
Learn more →Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.
🎭 Mr. Market's Mood
Learn more →"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"
"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"
Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
⚖️ Buffett Signal
Learn more →The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
Frequently Asked Questions: MCD vs NKE
Is McDonald's Corporation or NIKE, Inc. more undervalued in 2026?▼
Based on our discounted cash flow model, NKE trades at a 59.7% margin of safety (intrinsic value $112 vs. price $45), compared to MCD's -31.7% margin of safety (intrinsic $212 vs. $279).
Which stock has a wider economic moat, McDonald's Corporation or NIKE, Inc.?▼
MCD scores 91/100 (Wide moat), while NKE scores 68/100 (Narrow moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.
Which company has better free cash flow, McDonald's Corporation or NIKE, Inc.?▼
NIKE, Inc. (NKE) generates a 4.9% free cash flow yield, compared to McDonald's Corporation's 3.0%. A higher FCF yield means the business converts more of its market value into cash that can be returned to shareholders or reinvested.
Which stock has higher return on invested capital, McDonald's Corporation or NIKE, Inc.?▼
MCD earns 17.5% ROIC versus NKE's 10.1%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.
Which dividend is safer, McDonald's Corporation's or NIKE, Inc.'s?▼
NKE's dividend earns a safety score of 69/100 (Safe), compared to MCD's 69/100 (Safe). NKE has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.