Yum! Brands (YUM) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Yum! Brands, Inc. operates as one of the world’s largest fast‐food restaurant companies. Founded in 1997 as a spin‐off from PepsiCo and originally named Tricon Global Restaurants, the company adopted its current name in 2002. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Yum! Brands franchises and operates quick‐service restaurants under well‐known banners, including KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and WingStreet. Its core business model centers on franchising, development, supply chain management and restaurant support services, with a strategic focus on brand innovation and operational efficiency.

The company’s portfolio of brands spans a diverse range of product offerings. KFC specializes in fried and grilled chicken offerings, alongside sandwiches, sides and snacks; Pizza Hut provides a variety of pizza styles, pasta dishes, breadsticks and desserts; Taco Bell is known for its Mexican‐inspired menu, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas and specialty items; and WingStreet complements Pizza Hut locations with chicken wings and sauces. Each brand emphasizes value, convenience and digital engagement, leveraging mobile ordering platforms, delivery partnerships and loyalty programs to enhance customer experience.

Yum! Brands maintains a significant global footprint, operating in more than 150 countries and territories. Its largest markets include China, the United States, India and various emerging economies in Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. The company pursues a multi‐format development strategy, adapting its restaurant designs, menus and service formats—such as drive‐thru, dine‐in, carryout and delivery—to meet local consumer preferences. Strategic partnerships with local franchisees and robust supply chains support consistent quality and enable the company to tailor promotional activities to regional tastes.

Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer David Gibbs, Yum! Brands continues to pursue sustainable growth and digital transformation. The executive team has prioritized restaurant modernization, technology investments in point‐of‐sale systems and digital marketing initiatives. Additionally, Yum! Brands has set sustainability goals related to packaging, responsible sourcing and waste reduction. Through ongoing brand revitalization efforts and an emphasis on customer convenience, the company aims to strengthen its market position and deliver long‐term value to franchise partners and stakeholders.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $148.51 to $151.86
• 50-Day Range: $138.38 to $152.37
• 52-Week Range: $122.13 to $163.30
• Volume: 1.76 million shs
• Average Volume: 2.00 million shs
• Market Capitalization: $41.64 billion
• P/E Ratio: 29.84
• Dividend Yield: 1.90%
• Price Target: $157.86
• Consensus Rating: Hold

Yum! Brands Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Yum! Brands scored higher than 85% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 51st out of 213 stocks in the retail/wholesale sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 2.2 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Hold

Consensus Rating

Yum! Brands has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 2.41, and is based on 9 buy ratings, 13 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Yum! Brands has been the subject of 10 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.3 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 11.78%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Yum! Brands are expected to grow by 11.78% in the coming year, from $5.94 to $6.64 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Yum! Brands is 29.84, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 25.86.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Yum! Brands is 29.84, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Retail/Wholesale sector average P/E ratio of about 29.04.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Yum! Brands has a PEG Ratio of 2.25. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Short Interest

• Score: 5.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

0.06% of the float of Yum! Brands has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Yum! Brands has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 0.4, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Yum! Brands has recently decreased by 99.29%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Yield

Yum! Brands pays a meaningful dividend of 1.90%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Yum! Brands has been increasing its dividend for 8 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Yum! Brands is 56.57%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Yum! Brands will have a dividend payout ratio of 42.77% next year. This indicates that Yum! Brands will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 1.1 / 5
• Environmental Score: -3.13

Percentage of Shares Shorted

0.06% of the float of Yum! Brands has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Yum! Brands has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 0.4, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Yum! Brands has recently decreased by 99.29%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.2 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.02

News Sentiment

Yum! Brands has a news sentiment score of 1.02. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.84 average news sentiment score of Retail/Wholesale companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 17 news articles for Yum! Brands this week, compared to 21 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

Only 9 people have searched for YUM on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -25% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

Only 3 people have added Yum! Brands to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -25% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Yum! Brands insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $1,861,504.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 0.33% of the stock of Yum! Brands is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

82.37% of the stock of Yum! Brands is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

YUM Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have YUM shares performed this year?

Yum! Brands' stock was trading at $134.16 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, YUM stock has increased by 11.7% and is now trading at $149.81.

How were Yum! Brands' earnings last quarter?

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April, 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.01. The firm's revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis.

How will Yum! Brands' stock buyback program work?

Yum! Brands' Board of Directors initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, May 15th 2024, which authorizes the company to buy back $2,000,000,000 in shares, according to EventVestor. This means that the company could reacquire up to 5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Does Yum! Brands have any subsidiaries?

Yum! Brands subsidiaries include Dragontail Systems, tictuk technologies, Kvantum, Heartstyles, The Habit Burger Grill, Little Sheep, A&W Restaurants, and others.

Who are Yum! Brands' major shareholders?

Top institutional investors of Yum! Brands include Assenagon Asset Management S.A. (0.18%), Swedbank AB (0.05%), Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC (0.05%) and NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC (0.04%). Insiders that own company stock include David W Gibbs, Scott Catlett, David Eric Russell, Mark James King, Scott Mezvinsky, Weir Mirian M Graddick, Sabir Sami, Erika Burkhardt and Paget Leonard Alves.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Yum! Brands?

Shares of YUM stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Yum! Brands own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Yum! Brands investors own include Comcast (CMCSA), Chevron (CVX), Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), Charles Schwab (SCHW), McKesson (MCK), Edwards Lifesciences (EW) and Toronto Dominion Bank (TD).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 4/30/2025
• Record date for 6/6 Dividend: 5/27/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 6/6 Dividend: 5/27/2025
• Dividend Payable: 6/06/2025
• Today: 7/12/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 8/05/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Retail/Wholesale
• Industry: RETAIL - RESTRNTS
• Sub-Industry: Restaurants
• Current Symbol: NYSE:YUM
• CIK: 1041061
• Web: www.yum.com
• Phone: (502) 874-8300
• Fax: 502-874-8323
• Employees: 40,000
• Year Founded: 1997

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Yum! Brands: $157.86
• High Price Target: $185.00
• Low Price Target: $135.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +5.4%
• Consensus Rating: Hold
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.41
• Research Coverage: 22 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $5.02
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 29.84
• Forward P/E Ratio: 25.22
• P/E Growth: 2.25
• Net Income: $1.49 billion
• Net Margins: 18.42%
• Pretax Margin: 25.15%
• Return on Equity: -20.80%
• Return on Assets: 24.37%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: N/A
• Current Ratio: 1.40
• Quick Ratio: 1.40

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $7.55 billion
• Price / Sales: 5.52
• Cash Flow: $6.22 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 24.08
• Book Value: ($27.41) per share
• Price / Book: -5.47

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 277,960,000
• Free Float: 277,048,000
• Market Cap: $41.64 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.74