ABT vs MCD: Correlation
How closely do Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and McDonald's (MCD) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.41, which is moderate.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are ABT and MCD?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of ABT and MCD correlate at 0.41, moderate. The link has loosened recently: the 1-year correlation (0.24) runs below the 3-year figure (0.41). Stretching to 5 years gives 0.43, with an annualized covariance of 160.0 %².
By 3-year correlation, MCD places #8 of the 29 assets tracked against ABT. Neither side won the trailing year by much: -13.2% against -14.5%. On a rolling one-year basis the correlation drifted between 0.22 and 0.64, a moderate band.
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
ABT vs MCD: side by side
| ABT (Abbott Laboratories) | MCD (McDonald's) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | -13.2% | -14.5% |
| 5-year return | -2.3% | +23.3% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 22.0% | 17.8% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.16 | 0.30 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -39.6% | -22.8% |
| Market cap | $193.1B | $184.0B |
| P/E (trailing) | 37.0 | 21.7 |
| Dividend yield | 2.17% | 2.75% |
| Sector / category | Health Care | Consumer Discretionary |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | ABT | MCD |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -20.7% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | +2.3% | +15.1% |
| 2024 | +4.8% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | +12.9% | +7.9% |
| 2026 | -9.3% | -13.9% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are ABT and MCD good diversifiers for each other?
Reasonably. At 0.41, ABT and MCD keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
FAQ
What is the correlation between ABT and MCD?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.41 over 3 years, with 0.24 over the last year and 0.43 over 5 years.
Is MCD a good diversifier for ABT?
Reasonably. At 0.41, ABT and MCD keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
What does a correlation of 0.41 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.41 describes how much the two returns move together: +1 is lockstep, 0 is independence, negative values mean opposite directions. It says nothing about which performed better.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/abt-vs-mcd.json
Drop this badge in a README or notebook; it updates with the data:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/abt-vs-mcd/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: ABT correlations · MCD correlations