Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Sets New 1-Year High After Dividend Announcement

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. The company traded as high as $163.49 and last traded at $162.67, with a volume of 262271 shares. The stock had previously closed at $159.57.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This is a boost from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is currently 51.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Guggenheim cut their price target on Yum! Brands from $167.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Thursday. 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. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised shares of Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.50.

Yum! Brands Trading Up 1.1%

The company has a market cap of $45.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.34, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $153.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $149.12.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 22.42% and a net margin of 18.98%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum! Brands News Summary

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

Insider Activity

In other Yum! Brands 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 276 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.17, for a total value of $42,274.92. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 39,398 shares of company stock valued at $6,027,295 in the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 2.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 35,242,558 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,356,869,000 after buying an additional 684,946 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 16,179,636 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,459,940,000 after acquiring an additional 487,069 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,131,263 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,945,791,000 after acquiring an additional 297,641 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,216,042 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,217,826,000 after acquiring an additional 218,046 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $602,551,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

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.