Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM) - Company Profile - 2026-04-20

Company Overview

Yum! Brands, Inc. is a U.S.-based operator and franchisor of quick service restaurants. The company develops, operates, and franchises both traditional and non-traditional quick service concepts in the United States, China, and internationally. Its portfolio centers on four segments: KFC Division, Taco Bell Division, Pizza Hut Division, and Habit Burger & Grill Division. Through these brands, Yum! Brands focuses on chicken, Mexican-style foods, pizza, and made-to-order burgers and sandwiches, among other offerings. The company traces its origins to TRICON Global Restaurants, Inc., changing its name to Yum! Brands, Inc. in May 2002. Yum! Brands was incorporated in 1997 and maintains its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. As of the provided data, the company employs approximately 49,000 people and maintains a corporate website at https://www.yum.com.

• Ticker: YUM
• Sector: Consumer Cyclical; Industry: Restaurants
• Country: United States
• Employees: 49,000
• Website: https://www.yum.com

Business and Operations

Yum! Brands operates a diversified portfolio of fast service concepts with both traditional and non-traditional restaurant formats. The business structure centers on four primary divisions, each tied to a core brand:

• KFC Division, focused on chicken-based offerings
• Taco Bell Division, focused on Mexican-style food
• Pizza Hut Division, focused on pizza and related items
• Habit Burger & Grill Division, focused on chargrilled burgers and related products

The company owns and operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Habit Burger & Grill brands, and it employs a franchise model alongside traditional company-operated locations. The brand mix spans a broad geographic footprint, with substantial activity in the United States and an international presence, including China and other regions. Yum! Brands’ corporate history reflects a consolidation of multiple dining brands under a single corporate umbrella, enabling leverage of supply chains, real estate, and marketing across its franchise network. The company’s structure emphasizes quick service formats and made-to-order offerings across its multiple concepts.

Fundamental Metrics

• Market cap: $44.73B
• Enterprise value: $57.48B
• P/E (trailing): 29.16
• P/E (forward): 21.66
• P/B: -6.12
• P/S: 5.45
• PEG: 2.00
• Profit margin: 18.98%
• Operating margin: 31.93%
• ROE: n/a
• ROA: 22.65%
• Debt/Equity: n/a
• Current ratio: 1.35
• Revenue (TTM): $8.21B
• Revenue growth (YoY): 6.50%
• Earnings growth (YoY): 27.70%
• Free cash flow: $1.31B
• Dividend yield: 184.00%
• Payout ratio: 51.17%
• Beta: 0.66

Share Structure and Ownership

• Shares outstanding: 276,173,275
• Float: 275,664,419
• Insider held: 0.17%
• Institutional held: 89.44%
• Short ratio (days to cover): 4.02
• Short % of float: 2.96%

Top institutional holders (by share percentage):

• Vanguard Group Inc: 12.71%
• BlackRock Inc.: 9.42%
• JPMorgan Chase & Co: 7.26%
• Capital International Investors: 7.03%
• T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc.: 5.56%

Trading Activity

• Last close: $161.82 (2026-04-20)
• 1-month change: +3.56%
• 3-month change: +2.98%
• Year-to-date (YTD) change: +7.53%
• 1-year change: +15.17%
• 52-week high: $169.39
• 52-week low: $137.33
• [Drawdown](https://aksoycapital.com/glossary/drawdown.html) from 52-week high: -4.47%
• 30-day average volume: 1,563,069
• 90-day average volume: 1,882,923

Recent Price Action

The security closed at $161.82 on 2026-04-20, marking a positive move over the preceding 1-month and 3-month horizons (1-month +3.56%, 3-month +2.98%). The stock has gained about 7.53% year-to-date and roughly 15.17% over the past year. The 52-week range spans from $137.33 to $169.39, with the current price near the upper end of that range. Average daily trading activity over the last 30 and 90 days indicates moderate liquidity, with 30-day volume around 1.56 million shares and 90-day volume around 1.88 million shares.

Strengths

• Diversified brand portfolio across four major concepts (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Habit Burger & Grill), providing multiple growth channels within the quick service restaurant sector.
• Material operating margin (over 30%) and solid profit margin, indicating efficiency in delivering earnings from revenue.
• Positive revenue growth YoY (6.50%) and notable earnings growth YoY (27.70%), suggesting improving profitability against a growing top line.
• Substantial free cash flow generation ($1.31B), supporting liquidity and potential capital allocation opportunities.
• Strong institutional ownership (89.44%), with multiple large asset managers among top holders, which can influence long-term shareholder alignment.
• Reasonable current ratio (1.35) indicating short-term liquidity sufficiency relative to current liabilities.
• Low beta (0.66) relative to the broader market, which may reflect lower relative volatility.

Considerations

• P/B is negative (-6.12), which can indicate book value reporting peculiarities or accounting attributes; it warrants careful review of balance sheet composition.
• Valuation metrics show a relatively high trailing P/E (29.16) and a moderate forward P/E (21.66), with a P/S of 5.45, suggesting the market prices in growth expectations relative to standard metrics.
• Dividend yield is shown at a very high level (184.00%), which is atypical for a large-cap restaurant operator and may reflect data reporting quirks; this warrants verification against official dividend disclosures.
• PEG ratio at 2.00 indicates expected earnings growth is priced in, but interpretation depends on growth sustainability and margin trajectory.
• The ROE figure is listed as not available (n/a), limiting a quick assessment of return on equity from reported data.
• The debt/equity metric is not provided, limiting analysis of leverage risk in relation to capital structure.
• Drawdown from 52-week high is modest (-4.47%), which provides a narrow perspective on recent price pressures; longer-term price dynamics should be considered in conjunction with operating results.

Summary

Yum! Brands, Inc. operates a diversified portfolio of quick service restaurant concepts across four divisions, including KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger & Grill, with a global footprint and a franchise-focused model. The company reports solid operating margins, positive revenue growth, and meaningful free cash flow, supported by strong institutional ownership. Current price action shows a multi-month gain with a 52-week trading range between $137.33 and $169.39, and liquidity measures indicate adequate short-term coverage, though certain valuation and balance sheet metrics merit closer review.