Yum! Brands (YUM): analysis in plain words
Is Yum! Brands cheap or expensive? How it makes money, whether it grows and its risks, explained in plain words and with its official accounts.
Yum! Brands (YUM) is listed on the NYSE and we classify it in restaurants. Below are its key dated figures, how it makes money, how it compares with its sector, what works for and against Yum! Brands according to those figures, and the questions people ask most about the stock. No buy or sell tips.
Yum! Brands (YUM) key figures as of November 4, 2026
| Figure | Value | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $166.31 | Last price on November 4, 2026 |
| P/E ratio (TTM) | 13.4x | Price over earnings per share |
| Revenue growth | +12.2% | Latest quarter vs the same quarter a year earlier |
| Net margin (TTM) | 25.4% | Profit for every 100 of sales |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 4.1x | Years of operating profit to repay debt |
| Dividend yield | 1.90% | Annual dividend over price |
| Market cap | $44.7 billion | What the stock market values it at |
The Yum! Brands figures come from Yahoo Finance, the same source the Fintols analysis uses, retrieved on November 4, 2026. Any YUM figure that is not available shows as N/A: we do not estimate it.
How Yum! Brands makes money
Yum! Brands owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut and reports a separate division for each. Almost all of its restaurants are run by franchisees, who pay royalties on sales and contribute to advertising funds. KFC carries the most weight internationally, while Taco Bell is its powerhouse in the United States.
Over the last 12 months, Yum! Brands brought in revenue of $8.7 billion. For every 100 it sells, Yum! Brands keeps 45.3 after the direct cost of what it sells (gross margin) and 32.8 after all operating costs (operating margin).
Yum! Brands against its sector
To know whether a Yum! Brands figure is high or low you have to put it next to similar companies. This table compares Yum! Brands with the median of the 4 restaurants companies Fintols covers, with data as of November 4, 2026.
| Figure | Yum! Brands | restaurants median |
|---|---|---|
| P/E | 13.4x | 27.8x (4) |
| Revenue growth | +12.2% | +6.6% (4) |
| Net margin | 25.4% | 18.1% (4) |
| Dividend yield | 1.90% | 2.16% (4) |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 4.1x | 3.4x (4) |
In short, against the typical restaurants company, Yum! Brands trades on a lower P/E, grows faster and earns a wider margin. By size, Yum! Brands ranks number 3 of 4 restaurants companies quoted in USD on Fintols.
The bull case for Yum! Brands
These are the strengths in the Yum! Brands figures as of November 4, 2026:
- Its net margin over the last 12 months is 25.4% (sector median: 18.1%): Yum! Brands turns a large share of its sales into profit.
- On a P/E basis Yum! Brands trades cheaper than its sector: 13.4x its annual earnings, against 27.8x for the restaurants median (4 companies with data).
- Yum! Brands is selling more than a year ago: +12.2% in its latest quarter (the typical restaurants company grew +6.6%).
The main risk for Yum! Brands
Debt is heavy: Yum! Brands carries net debt equal to 4.1x its annual EBITDA. With high interest rates or a weak year, interest payments eat into what it can invest or pay out.
On top of that: analysts expect lower Yum! Brands earnings: its P/E on estimated next-12-month earnings rises to 24.6x, from 13.4x on the last 12 months.
And, like the rest of restaurants, Yum! Brands is exposed to rising wages and food costs, and customers eating out less.
Frequently asked questions about Yum! Brands
Is it a good time to buy Yum! Brands stock?
Fintols does not tell you whether to buy or sell Yum! Brands, and nobody knows what the price will do tomorrow. What we can show you is where it stands today. As of November 4, 2026, Yum! Brands stock trades at $166.31, 2% below its 52-week high ($170.14) and 24% above its low ($134.26). Its P/E is 13.4x against a restaurants median of 27.8x, and 24.6x on the earnings analysts expect over the next 12 months. With Yum! Brands, as with any stock, timing matters less than understanding the business, investing for the long run and not betting everything on a single company.
Does Yum! Brands pay a dividend?
Yes. As of November 4, 2026, Yum! Brands pays $3.00 per share a year, which at today's price is a yield of 1.90%. It uses 37% of its profit to pay it, which leaves room to keep paying it if profit dips.
Is Yum! Brands stock expensive?
It depends on what you compare it with. On P/E, Yum! Brands trades at 13.4x its last 12 months of earnings: cheaper than the restaurants median (27.8x). A high P/E alone does not make Yum! Brands expensive: it can be justified if earnings grow fast, and a low one can reflect a business in trouble.
Who are Yum! Brands's competitors?
On Fintols we compare Yum! Brands with Starbucks, Chipotle and McDonald's, which are also in restaurants. As of November 4, 2026, Starbucks is worth $125.1 billion and trades on a P/E of 49.6; Chipotle is worth $44.5 billion and trades on a P/E of 32.9; McDonald's is worth $198.3 billion and trades on a P/E of 22.8. Each has a side-by-side comparison with Yum! Brands below.
Yum! Brands competitors
- Starbucks (SBUX) analysis · Yum! Brands vs Starbucks comparison
- Chipotle (CMG) analysis · Yum! Brands vs Chipotle comparison
- McDonald's (MCD) analysis · Yum! Brands vs McDonald's comparison
To understand Yum! Brands better
More companies like Yum! Brands: restaurants stocks and S&P 500 companies. Open the full YUM analysis with its valuation and scenarios. Educational content about Yum! Brands, not investment advice.