CAVA vs MCD Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare Cava and McDonald's by unit count trajectory vs established global scale, AUV trends, digital ordering adoption, free cash flow generation, and which restaurant stock wins for growth vs income.
Use this Cava vs McDonald's comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
MCD holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. MCD leads on both 1-year return (-10.09%) and forward P/E quality (18.92x vs 82.44x for CAVA), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for CAVA (+50.04%) than for MCD (+22.01%).
| Metric | CAVA | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 35.0 | 49.2 |
| AI rank | #1699 | #545 |
| Latest close | $62.01 | $264.76 |
| 1M return | -24.60% | -3.33% |
| 6M return | -6.17% | -14.39% |
| 1Y return | -28.11% | -10.09% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | CAVA | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $7.19K (-28.1%) started 2025-07-24 | $8.87K (-11.3%) started 2025-07-25 |
| 5Y ago | $14.16K (+41.6%) started 2023-06-15 | $12.91K (+29.1%) started 2021-07-26 |
| 10Y ago | $14.16K (+41.6%) started 2023-06-15 | $32.46K (+224.6%) started 2016-07-25 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | CAVA | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $7.22B | $190.21B |
| Trailing P/E | 119.25 | 22.07 |
| Forward P/E | 82.44 | 18.92 |
| Price/Sales | 5.62 | 8.55 |
| EV/Revenue | 5.80 | 8.89 |
| Analyst target | $93.04 | $326.65 |
| Target upside | +50.04% | +22.01% |
| Metric | CAVA | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 32.10% | 9.40% |
| Earnings growth | -9.10% | 6.90% |
| EPS growth | -9.10% | +6.90% |
| FCF margin | -0.92% | +21.69% |
| Operating margin | N/A | 44.25% |
| Profit margin | 4.79% | 31.62% |
| ROIC proxy | 8.02% | N/A |
| Return on equity | 8.02% | N/A |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 2.78% |
| Beta | 1.69 | 0.42 |
| Debt/equity | 61.54 | N/A |
| Current ratio | 2.65 | 1.14 |
| Quick ratio | 2.53 | 0.87 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | CAVA | MCD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -28.11% | -11.29% |
| CAGR | -28.13% | -11.33% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.34 | -0.83 | |
| Max drawdown | 51.74% | 22.95% | |
| Max daily drop | 16.63% | 3.41% | |
| Max wkly drop | 22.46% | 6.79% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +41.64% | +18.17% |
| CAGR | +11.85% | +3.40% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.41 | 0.02 | |
| Max drawdown | 71.11% | 22.95% | |
| Max daily drop | 16.63% | 5.71% | |
| Max wkly drop | 25.51% | 8.35% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +41.64% | +156.72% |
| CAGR | +11.85% | +9.89% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.41 | 0.34 | |
| Max drawdown | 71.11% | 36.90% | |
| Max daily drop | 16.63% | 15.88% | |
| Max wkly drop | 25.51% | 27.07% |
| Category | CAVA | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| Company | CAVA | MCD |
| Sector | N/A | Consumer Cyclical |
| Industry | N/A | Restaurants |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
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