TD Cowen Reaffirms Buy Rating for Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM)

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by analysts at TD Cowen in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $180.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 10.53% from the company’s current price.

YUM has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Gordon Haskett upgraded Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Yum! Brands from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $164.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Yum! Brands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.50.

Yum! Brands Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE YUM opened at $162.85 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $149.12. Yum! Brands has a 12 month low of $137.33 and a 12 month 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 2.22 and a beta of 0.66.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. Yum! Brands’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Yum! Brands

In other Yum! Brands news, CEO Aaron Powell sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 14,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,365,096. This trade represents a 45.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 24,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.10, for a total transaction of $3,627,901.20. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 39,398 shares of company stock valued at $6,027,295. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Yum! Brands

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. now owns 5,366 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $852,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC raised its position in Yum! Brands by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 5,658 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $856,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter worth about $221,000. Principle Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $288,000. Finally, Midwest Financial Partners Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $240,000. Institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Yum! Brands

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.