FrançaisMcDonald's vs Starbucks: which stock to buy?
Head to head
| Metric | McDonald's | Starbucks | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $260 | $107 | |
| Median target (12m) | $306 (+18%) | $114 (+6%) | |
| Analyst reliability (1y) | 22% | 39% | 🔵 SBUX |
| Avg gain / call (1y) | +7% | +10% | |
| P/E | 21.7 | 62.7 | 🟢 MCD |
| $1000 invested (10y ago) | $2,288 | $1,702 | 🟢 MCD |
Performance by year
| Year | MCD | SBUX | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | -12% | +21% | 🔵 SBUX |
| 2025 | +5% | -8% | 🟢 MCD |
| 2024 | -2% | -5% | 🟢 MCD |
| 2023 | +13% | -3% | 🟢 MCD |
| 2022 | -2% | -15% | 🟢 MCD |
| 2021 | +25% | +9% | 🟢 MCD |
| 2020 | +9% | +22% | 🔵 SBUX |
| 2019 | +11% | +37% | 🔵 SBUX |
| 2018 | +3% | +12% | 🔵 SBUX |
| 2017 | +41% | +3% | 🟢 MCD |
| 2016 | +3% | -8% | 🟢 MCD |
Frequently asked questions
McDonald's or Starbucks: which to buy?
Over ~10 years, McDonald's returned $2,288 on $1000 vs $1,702 for Starbucks, and Starbucks has better analyst reliability. Not advice: also check valuation (P/E) and your horizon.
McDonald's vs Starbucks: which performed best?
Over ~10 years, McDonald's wins ($2,288 vs $1,702 on $1000 invested, price return excluding dividends).
McDonald's vs Starbucks: which is cheaper?
On P/E, McDonald's is cheaper (21.7 vs 62.7). A lower P/E isn't always a better deal (growth matters).
What is JPI Invest?
JPI Invest aggregates analyst recommendations across the entire S&P 500 (plus the S&P MidCap 400), replays them against real prices and measures who predicts best — on results, not reputation. Instead of taking a price target at face value, you see each analyst's track record on each stock.
- 🏆 Analyst leaderboard by real reliability (beating their sector, not just riding the rally)
- 🎯 What to buy: 3 backtested methods over 6 years, from cautious to aggressive
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⚠️ Educational information, not investment advice. Past price performance (excluding dividends). Data: Yahoo Finance.