Yum! Brands’ (YUM) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at TD Cowen

TD Cowen reissued their buy rating on shares of Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $180.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on YUM. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Friday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $179.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Yum! Brands currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.50.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:YUM opened at $162.85 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $153.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.66. Yum! Brands has a 1 year low of $137.33 and a 1 year high of $163.60.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released 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). The business had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.45 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 22.42% and a net margin of 18.98%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This is an increase from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 24,332 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.10, for a total value of $3,627,901.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 276 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.17, for a total value of $42,274.92. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 39,398 shares of company stock valued at $6,027,295. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Yum! Brands in the second quarter valued at approximately $602,551,000. Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $133,251,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at $126,945,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 34.3% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,789,728 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $413,382,000 after buying an additional 713,167 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in Yum! Brands by 115.8% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 1,311,849 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $197,013,000 after buying an additional 703,891 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

More Yum! Brands News

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

About Yum! Brands

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.