McDonald's Corporation (MCD) vs Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (TMO): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
As of 2026-08-03, MCD is undervalued at $271, with a DCF intrinsic value of $148031152417 and a margin of safety of 100%. TMO is undervalued at $574, with an intrinsic value of $151245065994 and a margin of safety of 100%. Of the two, MCD 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.
Risks
- ⚠PEG ratio of 2.60 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
- ⚠Insiders have sold $2.4M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
- ⚠Altman Z-Score of 1.54 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.
- ⚠21 insider sales with no purchases over the past 12 months — a persistent pattern of insider selling.
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 $271?
The market implies -8.6% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.
Standard FCF implies a more demanding -3.3%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.
What growth rate is the market pricing in at $574?
The market implies -12.7% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.
Standard FCF implies a more demanding -8.9%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.
Economic Moat Score
Learn more →Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Revenue Predictability is the standout factor.
Narrow moat with margin stability as the key competitive advantage. Improving roic consistency 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 optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"
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 TMO
Is McDonald's Corporation or Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc more undervalued in 2026?▼
Based on our discounted cash flow model, MCD trades at a 100.0% margin of safety (intrinsic value $148031152417 vs. price $271), compared to TMO's 100.0% margin of safety (intrinsic $151245065994 vs. $574).
Which stock has a wider economic moat, McDonald's Corporation or Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc?▼
MCD scores 91/100 (Wide moat), while TMO scores 60/100 (Narrow moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.
Is Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc in financial distress?▼
TMO's Altman Z-Score of 1.5 places it in the Distress zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. MCD scores 2.8 (Grey zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.
Which stock has higher return on invested capital, McDonald's Corporation or Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc?▼
MCD earns 17.5% ROIC versus TMO's 7.2%. 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 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc's?▼
TMO's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to MCD's 69/100 (Safe). TMO has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.