Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Stock Price

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its price target increased by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $155.00 to $160.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective points to a potential downside of 1.30% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Gordon Haskett raised Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $167.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Oppenheimer cut shares of Yum! Brands from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.45.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

NYSE YUM traded up $2.54 on Thursday, hitting $162.11. The stock had a trading volume of 708,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,170,253. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $152.84 and a 200-day moving average of $148.91. Yum! Brands has a 52-week low of $137.33 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The company has a market capitalization of $45.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.66.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.03). Yum! Brands had a net margin of 17.95% and a negative return on equity of 21.79%. The firm had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 276 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.17, for a total transaction of $42,274.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Aaron Powell sold 2,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.48, for a total value of $419,839.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 26,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,010,292. The trade was a 9.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 27,398 shares of company stock worth $4,090,015 in the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum! Brands

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 100.3% during the fourth quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 11,551 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,747,000 after purchasing an additional 5,785 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its position in Yum! Brands by 540.1% during the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 11,900 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,800,000 after purchasing an additional 10,041 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 83.6% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 41,182 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,230,000 after buying an additional 18,756 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,264,000. Finally, Triton Wealth Management PLLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

More Yum! Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy on YUM and set a $180 price target (~11% upside from recent levels), signalling analyst conviction in Taco Bell-led upside and potential re-rating after Pizza Hut actions. TD Cowen buy rating and $180 price target (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Yum raised its quarterly dividend to $0.75 (ex‑div Feb 20), increasing shareholder yield and returning cash despite margin pressure — a vote of confidence from management. Yum dividend hike and earnings breakdown (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Top-line strength: Q4 revenue of $2.51B beat estimates and same-store sales were led by Taco Bell (strong comps) and KFC international unit growth — supports growth thesis centered on Taco Bell momentum. Same-store sales beat driven by Taco Bell and KFC (Reuters)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and coverage are available for investors parsing guidance, cost pressures and strategy post-Pizza Hut review; useful for assessing management’s plans. Q4 2025 earnings call transcript (InsiderMonkey)
• Neutral Sentiment: Some research coverage and forecast revisions are circulating (TipRanks/other outlets) as analysts reweight upside from Taco Bell vs. Pizza Hut risk. Monitor revisions for conviction changes. Analyst note: Buy driven by Taco Bell momentum (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: Yum’s non‑GAAP EPS missed consensus (reported $1.73 vs. ~$1.76), a modest shortfall that, together with margin compression, tempered the earnings reaction. Earnings details: EPS miss vs revenue beat (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Yum said it will close ~250 underperforming Pizza Hut U.S. locations and is reviewing the brand’s future (including sale/divestiture scenarios) — that business is a clear near‑term drag and adds execution/strategic uncertainty. Pizza Hut closures and strategic review (Invezz)
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of insider stock sales and comments about margin squeeze raise governance and near-term margin concerns — watch incremental margin guidance and cost initiatives. Insider sales and margin squeeze coverage (Yahoo/other)

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.