Which has the lower trailing P/E, LOW or MCD?

LOW has the lower trailing P/E: LOW trades at 17.88 and MCD at 22.31. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, LOW or MCD?

Over the past five years, MCD grew revenue faster — LOW at a -1.28% CAGR versus MCD at 6.95%.

Does LOW or MCD pay a bigger dividend?

LOW yields 2.27% and MCD yields 2.72% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is LOW or MCD more profitable?

MCD runs the higher net margin — LOW at 7.51% versus MCD at 31.62%.

How have LOW and MCD total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, LOW delivered 12.19% and MCD delivered 11.17% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (LOW) vs McDonald's Corporation (MCD)

A side-by-side comparison of Lowe's Companies, Inc. and McDonald's Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 28, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

LOW

Lowe's Companies, Inc.

$122.37B

$218.24Consumer CyclicalDelayed quote: Jul 28, 2026, 4:02 PM EDT

MCD

McDonald's Corporation

$193.98B

$273.02Consumer CyclicalDelayed quote: Jul 28, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — LOW vs MCD

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 30y

LOW +7749.5%MCD +2216.5%LOW compounded faster

LOW MCD

LOW vs MCD: by the numbers

•MCD is the larger company ($193.98B vs $122.37B market cap).
•LOW trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (17.88 vs 22.31 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•MCD converts more revenue to profit (31.62% vs 7.51% net margin).
•MCD grew revenue faster over the past five years (6.95% vs -1.28% CAGR).
•MCD pays the higher dividend yield (2.72% vs 2.27%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	LOW	MCD
P/E ratio	17.88	22.31
Forward P/E	17.26	20.96
P/S ratio	1.34	7.04
PEG ratio	1.30	5.30
EV / EBITDA	12.85	16.64
FCF yield	6.43%	3.64%

Profitability

Metric	LOW	MCD
Gross margin	33.80%	57.35%
Operating margin	11.55%	46.01%
Net margin	7.51%	31.62%
ROE	-67.10%	-478.11%
ROIC	20.42%	17.44%

Dividends

Metric	LOW	MCD
Dividend yield	2.27%	2.72%
Payout ratio	40.44%	61.25%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	LOW	MCD
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	-1.28%	6.95%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	13.72%	13.58%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-3.74%	5.78%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	3.79%	4.27%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, LOW or MCD?: LOW has the lower trailing P/E: LOW trades at 17.88 and MCD at 22.31. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, LOW or MCD?: Over the past five years, MCD grew revenue faster — LOW at a -1.28% CAGR versus MCD at 6.95%.
Does LOW or MCD pay a bigger dividend?: LOW yields 2.27% and MCD yields 2.72% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is LOW or MCD more profitable?: MCD runs the higher net margin — LOW at 7.51% versus MCD at 31.62%.
How have LOW and MCD total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, LOW delivered 12.19% and MCD delivered 11.17% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full LOW analysis Full MCD analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Lowe's Companies P/E ratio McDonald's P/E ratio Lowe's Companies dividend yield McDonald's dividend yield Lowe's Companies ROE McDonald's ROE Lowe's Companies operating margin McDonald's operating margin Lowe's Companies revenue growth McDonald's revenue growth Lowe's Companies free cash flow McDonald's free cash flow

Lowe's Companies & McDonald's appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks 25+ Year Dividend Growers Highest ROIC Stocks Highest Operating Margin Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified July 28, 2026.