Yum! Brands (YUM) – Analysts’ Recent Ratings Updates

A number of research firms have changed their ratings and price targets for Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM):

• 2/13/2026 – Yum! Brands had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Evercore ISI. They now have a $190.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/12/2026 – Yum! Brands had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Guggenheim. They now have a $180.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/5/2026 – Yum! Brands had its “positive” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company.
• 2/5/2026 – Yum! Brands had its “market perform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at BMO Capital Markets. They now have a $165.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/5/2026 – Yum! Brands was given a new $185.00 price target on by analysts at Barclays PLC. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 2/5/2026 – Yum! Brands had its price target raised by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $170.00 to $171.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 2/5/2026 – Yum! Brands had its price target raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $155.00 to $160.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 2/5/2026 – Yum! Brands had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at TD Cowen. They now have a $180.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/2/2026 – Yum! Brands had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at UBS Group AG. They now have a $180.00 price target on the stock.
• 1/22/2026 – Yum! Brands had its price target raised by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $164.00 to $170.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 1/20/2026 – Yum! Brands had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $176.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 1/8/2026 – Yum! Brands was upgraded by analysts at Gordon Haskett from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating.
• 1/7/2026 – Yum! Brands had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein. They now have a $179.00 price target on the stock.
• 1/7/2026 – Yum! Brands had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein.
• 1/7/2026 – Yum! Brands had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays PLC from $175.00 to $179.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 1/6/2026 – Yum! Brands was downgraded by analysts at Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating.
• 12/29/2025 – Yum! Brands had its “buy (b)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. This is a positive change from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 276 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.17, for a total value of $42,274.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Aaron Powell sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $1,937,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 14,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,365,096. The trade was a 45.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands, Inc (NYSE: YUM) is a global quick-service restaurant company that develops, operates and franchises a portfolio of well-known restaurant brands. The company’s principal brands are KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, each focused on distinct product categories—KFC on fried chicken and related menu items, Pizza Hut on pizza and complementary offerings, and Taco Bell on Mexican-inspired quick-service food. Yum! is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky and was formed as Tricon Global Restaurants in 1997 when PepsiCo spun off its restaurant businesses, later adopting the Yum! Brands name.

The company’s operating model centers on brand development, system growth and franchising; a large portion of its restaurants are operated by independent franchisees, and Yum! generates revenue through franchise royalties and fees in addition to sales from company-operated locations.