Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Given New $160.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its target price lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $155.00 to $160.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered Yum! Brands from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.50.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of YUM opened at $160.94 on Thursday. Yum! Brands has a fifty-two week low of $137.33 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60. The company has a market capitalization 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $152.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $149.00.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 18.98% and a negative return on equity of 22.42%. Yum! Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. 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 1.9%. This is a boost from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is 54.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 24,332 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.10, for a total value of $3,627,901.20. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,090,015. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its position in Yum! Brands by 679.2% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 187 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Yum! Brands by 81.7% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, CNB Bank lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 833.3% in the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 224 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Yum! Brands News

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

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.