Retained Earnings
McDonald's Retained Earnings increased by 1.2% to $70.28B in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 5.2%, from $66.83B to $70.28B. Over 5 years (FY 2020 to FY 2025), Retained Earnings shows an upward trend with a 5.4% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Consistent growth in retained earnings signals a profitable business model that can sustain itself without constant external capital raises.
Detailed definition
The cumulative amount of net income that has been reinvested in the business rather than distributed to shareholders as...
Peer comparison
Mature, highly profitable companies like Apple may actually see this decrease if they return more cash to shareholders via buybacks than they earn in net income.
retained_earningsHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $55.74B | $55.90B | $57.53B | $57.61B | $57.79B | $58.75B | $59.54B | $60.24B | $61.44B | $63.48B | $64.20B | $65.03B | $64.82B | $66.83B | $67.44B | $68.42B | $69.44B | $70.28B |
| QoQ Change | — | +0.3% | +2.9% | +0.1% | +0.3% | +1.7% | +1.3% | +1.2% | +2.0% | +3.3% | +1.1% | +1.3% | -0.3% | +3.1% | +0.9% | +1.5% | +1.5% | +1.2% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +3.7% | +5.1% | +3.5% | +4.5% | +6.3% | +6.6% | +6.6% | +5.8% | — | +5.3% | +5.0% | +5.2% | +7.1% | +5.2% |
Retained Earnings at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is McDonald's's retained earnings?
- McDonald's (MCD) reported retained earnings of $70.28B in Q4 2025.
- How has McDonald's's retained earnings changed year-over-year?
- McDonald's's retained earnings increased by 5.2% year-over-year, from $66.83B to $70.28B.
- What is the long-term trend for McDonald's's retained earnings?
- Over 5 years (2020 to 2025), McDonald's's retained earnings has grown at a 5.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $53.91B to $70.28B.
- What does retained earnings mean?
- The total profits the company has kept and reinvested since it started, after paying out any dividends.