McDonald’s Corporation MCD delivered solid first-quarter 2026 sales momentum, with global comparable sales increasing 3.8% and U.S. comparable sales rising 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. That growth supported more than $3.6 billion in restaurant margins and an adjusted operating margin of 46%, underscoring the resilience of the company’s broader business model. Still, management stated that U.S. company-operated margins were “not acceptable” and noted that it is revisiting the optimal balance between franchisee and company ownership to maximize system value.
Management attributed the weaker company-operated margin performance to additional labor investment and restrained pricing, which likely limited MCD’s ability to offset cost inflation. Although these factors were described as fixable, management emphasized that company ownership must deliver strong returns and support a strong overall system outcome. If those standards are not met, stronger franchisee operations could become part of the margin-improvement path.
This places renewed attention on McDonald’s ownership mix as a potential lever for profitability improvement. The company’s heavily franchised model has historically supported resilient margins and strong cash generation, making the performance gap between company-operated and franchisee-run restaurants an important operating benchmark. Management noted that franchisee restaurant-level margins showed clear upside compared with recent company-operated performance, reinforcing the case for either stronger internal execution or a reassessment of ownership structure.
Looking ahead, McDonald’s sales engine remains intact, supported by value, marketing and menu innovation. However, margin conversion is likely to remain a key investor focus. Better company-operated execution, improved pricing discipline or potential ownership-mix changes could strengthen the earnings-leverage narrative. If cost pressures persist without meaningful improvement in company-run margins, profitability at these restaurants may remain a point of scrutiny for the stock.
MCD’s Stock Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates
Shares of McDonald's have declined 12.6% in the past year compared with the industry’s 9.2% fall. In the same time frame, other industry players like Starbucks Corporation SBUX have gained 21.9%, while Sweetgreen, Inc. SG and Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CMG have declined 54.7% and 38.3%, respectively.
MCD One-Year Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, MCD trades at a forward price-to-sales (P/S) multiple of 6.69, above the industry’s average of 3.30. Conversely, industry players, such as Starbucks, Sweetgreen and Chipotle, have P/S multiples of 3.08, 1.13 and 3.06, respectively.
MCD’s P/S Ratio (Forward 12-Month) vs. Industry
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MCD’s 2026 earnings per share has declined in the past 30 days.
EPS Trend of MCD Stock
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The company is likely to report strong earnings, with projections indicating a 6.2% rise in 2026. Conversely, industry players like Sweetgreen and Starbucks are likely to witness a rise of 107% and 12.2%, respectively, year over year, in 2026 earnings. Meanwhile, Chipotle’s 2026 earnings are likely to witness a fall of 3.4% year over year.
MCD's Zacks Rank
MCD stock has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is Here
The AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.
See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Starbucks Corporation (SBUX): Free Stock Analysis Report
McDonald's Corporation (MCD): Free Stock Analysis Report
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG): Free Stock Analysis Report
Sweetgreen, Inc. (SG): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).