WMT vs MCD Stock Comparison
WMT currently leads MCD in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 54 vs 50. The clearest difference is risk resilience.
What is the main difference between WMT and MCD?
WMT leads the current stock comparison as Walmart Inc., with the clearest separation coming from risk resilience and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Walmart Inc. vs McDonald's Corporation
WMT leads
WMT leads by 4 AIQ points, primarily on Risk Resilience and Momentum, but the lead has narrowed from 7 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors MCD on target upside.
Fragile: 3 of 6 evidence groups support WMT, its lead is narrowing, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Walmart Inc.
McDonald's Corporation
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors WMT over MCD, 54 versus 50 as of Oct 21, 2026. WMT's advantage is driven primarily by stronger risk resilience and momentum. WMT also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors MCD. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor WMT today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 4 points. WMT lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 4 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Walmart Inc. and McDonald's Corporation across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare WMT and MCD against another ticker
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AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Risk Resilience55 vs 42WMT +13
- Momentum76 vs 66WMT +10
- Quality53 vs 56Even
- Value35 vs 35Even
3 of 6 evidence groups favor WMT. WMT’s edge is concentrated in risk resilience and momentum.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum -7
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum +1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.
New signals
- BB Upper Band Breach — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- Keltner Channel Breakout — bullish, volatility, short horizon
- RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon
WMT's lead narrowed by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — WMT and MCD both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
WMT (Walmart Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by risk resilience and momentum.
MCD (McDonald's Corporation): the counter-case, on fundamentals, analyst expectations.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
WMTWMT on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
MCDMCD on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
EvenThe two are level on Value.
Momentum
WMTWMT on the Momentum factor, by 10 points.
Lower downside
WMTWMT on Risk Resilience, by 13 points.
Analyst upside
MCDMCD on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors WMT, analyst targets favor MCD. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | WMT | MCD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +11% | +21.3% | MCD has more room |
| Target dispersion | +34.4% | +40.2% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 19 | 19 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Dividend growth
| Dividend metric | WMT | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| 5Y dividend CAGR | 5.48% | 7.30% |
| 2020 regular DPS | $0.720 | $5.040 |
| 2025 regular DPS | $0.940 | $7.170 |
| Years increased | 5 | 5 |
| No cut in window | Yes | Yes |
| Cohort rank | #232 | #173 |
MCD grew its split-adjusted regular dividend faster over 2020–2025 — 7.30% a year against WMT's 5.48%. Neither company reduced its regular dividend in any year of the window.
Yield and payout ratio shown elsewhere on this page are current values, not part of the study window.
Split-adjusted regular dividends per share, 2020–2025, excluding special dividends. Research as of Sep 19, 2026.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor WMT. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | WMT | 54 vs 50 |
| Fundamentals | MCDon balance | revenue growth 5.7% vs 8.9%; EPS growth 19.4% vs 19%; TTM ROE 22.7% vs -5.6%; gross margin 25.2% vs 57.4%; operating margin 4.4% vs 45.8% — MCD takes 3 of 4 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | Even | Value 35 vs 35 |
| Technicals | WMT | Price vs 50-day 7.9% vs -2%; vs 200-day -0.4% vs -13.6% |
| Risk Resilience | WMT | Risk Resilience 55 vs 42 |
| Analyst expectations | MCD | Target upside 11% vs 21.3% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of WMT and MCD and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 4 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on WMT.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20WMT lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 4 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- WMT +4
- 54 vs 50
- 7 sessions ago
- WMT +6
- 54 vs 48
- 30 sessions ago
- WMT +7
- 46 vs 39
- 90 sessions ago
- WMT +5
- 47 vs 42
The lead changed hands 2 times in this window, most recently on Aug 20 when MCD moved ahead of WMT.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
2 bullish / 2 bearish, conflicted
No signal that the other name lacks.
2 bullish / 4 bearish, conflicted
Only MCD
- BB Upper Band Breach — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- Downtrend Structure Active — bearish, trend, long horizon
Both carry 4 more signals that do not separate them: Death Cross Active, Keltner Channel Breakout, RSI Overbought, MACD Bullish Crossover.
WMT leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.04%, AIQ -1 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.11%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1MCD closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 13 points behind, the largest single contributor to WMT's edge.
- 2MCD's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3WMT's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once.
- 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 3 points over 30 sessions, and a further 4-point move would eliminate WMT's advantage entirely.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
MCD leads on balance| Metric | WMT | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 5.7% | 8.9% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | 19.4% | 19% |
| Gross margin | 25.2% | 57.4% |
| Operating margin | 4.4% | 45.8% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 22.7% | -5.6% |
| Debt to equity | 0.75 | -53.36 |
Performance
WMT leads 6 of 6 windows| Metric | WMT | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 5% | 4.4% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | 7% | -1.5% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 7.8% | -6.5% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -9.1% | -18.3% |
| Year to date | 5.8% | -19.3% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 10.7% | -19.3% |
Technicals
WMT has the stronger structure| Metric | WMT | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 80.7 | 82.7 |
| ADX (14) | 27.6 | 37.6 |
| Price vs 50-day | 7.9% | -2% |
| Price vs 200-day | -0.4% | -13.6% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 24.4% | 23.5% |
Risk
WMT is the more resilient| Metric | WMT | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | -0.1 | 0.01 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.33 | -1.26 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.43 | -1.85 |
| Max drawdown | -23.5% | -32.3% |
| Current drawdown | -12.2% | -27.7% |
| Annualized volatility | 26.3% | 19.4% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -2.5% | -2% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, WMT or MCD?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, WMT is the stronger of the two as of Oct 21, 2026, scoring 54 against MCD's 50. The edge comes from risk resilience and momentum. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is WMT or MCD the better buy right now?
WMT carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 21, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the AIQ gap is narrow at 4 points. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor WMT over MCD?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. WMT leads Risk Resilience by 13 points; WMT leads Momentum by 10 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, WMT or MCD?
Analyst price targets imply +11% upside for WMT and +21.3% for MCD, so the Street currently favors MCD. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors WMT. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, WMT or MCD?
Neither name separates on the peer-relative Value factor. The two are level on Value. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, WMT or MCD?
MCD on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, WMT or MCD?
WMT on the Momentum factor, by 10 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, WMT or MCD?
WMT is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. WMT on Risk Resilience, by 13 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is WMT more profitable than MCD?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 25.2% vs 57.4%; operating margin 4.4% vs 45.8%; ttm roe 22.7% vs -5.6%. WMT leads on one measure and MCD on two measures, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is WMT's lead over MCD getting stronger or weaker?
WMT lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 4 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has changed hands 2 times in that window, most recently on 2026-08-20, when MCD moved ahead of WMT.
What would change the WMT vs MCD verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: MCD closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 13 points behind, the largest single contributor to WMT's edge; MCD's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; WMT's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once; the narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 3 points over 30 sessions, and a further 4-point move would eliminate WMT's advantage entirely.
What do the current signals say about WMT and MCD?
WMT: 2 bullish / 2 bearish, conflicted. MCD: 2 bullish / 4 bearish, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on WMT is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On MCD it is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).
Compare WMT and MCD with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.