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

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its target price boosted by Citigroup from $170.00 to $171.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday. Evercore ISI raised Yum! Brands from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $179.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $167.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.50.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

NYSE:YUM opened at $160.94 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $44.69 billion, a PE ratio of 29.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.66. Yum! Brands has a fifty-two week low of $137.33 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $152.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.00.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 22.42% and a net margin of 18.98%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.61 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This is a positive change from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Aaron Powell sold 2,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.48, for a total transaction of $419,839.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 26,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,010,292. This represents a 9.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 24,332 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.10, for a total transaction of $3,627,901.20. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 27,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,090,015 over the last 90 days. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CDM Financial Counseling Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $538,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its position in Yum! Brands by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 2,790 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $422,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 2,003 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 421 shares during the last quarter. Requisite Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $236,000. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 3,554 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $541,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Yum! Brands News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Taco Bell and KFC performance drove revenue above expectations and same-store-sales beat, supporting top-line growth and offsetting some margin pressure. Yum Brands tops same-store sales estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Yum increased its quarterly dividend to $0.75 (a ~5.6% rise from prior), a shareholder-friendly move that supports income investors’ interest. Yum Brands hikes dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Byte by Yum AI platform continues to roll out, with management claiming operational benefits for franchisees (efficiency, personalization) — a growth/efficiency lever longer term. Yum Brands Battles Rival Restaurants With Proprietary AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions are mixed but generally supportive: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy with a $180 target, while Citi nudged its target to $171 (neutral). These show divergent views on upside but help underpin trading interest. Citi price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed: revenue beat (~$2.51B) but non-GAAP EPS missed modestly ($1.73 vs. ~$1.76 consensus). Taco Bell/KFC growth offset Pizza Hut weakness; margins are under some pressure. Yum Q4 earnings and call
• Negative Sentiment: Pizza Hut announced plans to close ~250 underperforming U.S. locations in H1 2026 and Yum is conducting a formal strategic review that may include selling the brand — a near-term profit headwind and a source of investor uncertainty. Pizza Hut closing 250 US stores
• Negative Sentiment: Pizza Hut’s U.S. same-store sales have declined and the unit closures / possible divestiture highlight structural problems in the pizza portfolio that could weigh on consolidated margins and sentiment until the review concludes. Investopedia: Pizza Hut is shutting 250 restaurants

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.