Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Price Target Raised to $171.00

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its price objective increased by Citigroup from $170.00 to $171.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $179.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $177.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $167.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.50.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Shares of Yum! Brands stock opened at $162.85 on Thursday. Yum! Brands has a 52-week low of $137.33 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.22 billion, a PE ratio of 29.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $153.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $149.12.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.03). Yum! Brands had a net margin of 18.98% and a negative return on equity of 22.42%. The business had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. Yum! Brands’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This is a positive change from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Aaron Powell sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $1,937,280.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 14,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,365,096. This represents a 45.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 276 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.17, for a total transaction of $42,274.92. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 39,398 shares of company stock worth $6,027,295 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Augustine Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,287 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $497,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in Yum! Brands by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 1,915 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC raised its holdings in Yum! Brands by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 3,197 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $486,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. lifted its position in Yum! Brands by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,085 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Spirepoint Private Client LLC boosted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC now owns 1,424 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Yum! Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy and keeps a $180 price target, citing Taco Bell momentum and potential re-rating after Pizza Hut actions — a bullish analyst signal for the stock. TD Cowen Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Yum’s Byte by Yum AI platform continues to be promoted as a competitive advantage for operators (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Habit), which could lift unit economics and long-term growth. Byte by Yum AI
• Positive Sentiment: Yum reported double-digit profit growth in Q4 and revenue that beat estimates, demonstrating underlying earnings strength despite some brand-level softness. Q4 Profit Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is conducting a formal review of Pizza Hut, including exploring a possible sale; that could unlock value long-term but also introduces execution and timing uncertainty. Pizza Hut Strategic Review
• Negative Sentiment: Yum announced it will close ~250 underperforming U.S. Pizza Hut locations in H1 2026 — a sign of structural weakness in the chain that may pressure near-term U.S. sales and investor sentiment. Pizza Hut Store Closures
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Aaron Powell sold 12,000 shares (about a 45% cut in his direct holdings) on Feb 5; while insider sales can be for many reasons, large exits by executives often raise investor concern. SEC Form 4 – Powell Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed Street estimates ($1.73 vs $1.76) even as revenue beat, highlighting margin or timing pressures that traders may punish near term. Q4 Earnings Call Transcript

Yum! Brands Company Profile

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.