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MCD · Q2 FY2026

MCDONALDS CORP Q2 FY2026 earnings analysis

By SageNoodle ResearchBullish
Reported results versus estimates
MetricActualEstimateResult
Revenue$7.10B$6.49B (yr ago)Beat
EPS$3.32$2.80 (yr ago)Beat
Free Cash Flow$1.98B (table; not meaningful for this analysis)$1.06B (yr ago; not meaningful)Beat
Gross MarginNot disclosedNot disclosed (yr ago)Miss
Operating Margin47.0% pre-tax margin45.0% pre-tax margin (yr ago)Beat

What changed

Revenue increased 9.4% year over year to $7.10 billion, while EPS rose 18.6% to $3.32. The supplied pre-tax margin expanded 2.0 percentage points to 47.0%, but debt remained high at $39.86 billion and book equity was negative at $1.02 billion.

Impact on the investment thesis

With no prior SageNoodle fair value, we initiate a $271 base-case value rather than record a revision. The stronger quarter supports a modest premium to the current 20.6x trailing P/E, but leverage and negative equity keep the valuation and risk assessment measured.

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