Yum! Brands (YUM) – Analysts’ Recent Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently updated their ratings and price targets for Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM):

• 1/20/2026 – Yum! Brands had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $165.00 to $176.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 1/8/2026 – Yum! Brands was upgraded by analysts at Gordon Haskett from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating.
• 1/7/2026 – Yum! Brands had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein. They now have a $179.00 price target on the stock.
• 1/7/2026 – Yum! Brands had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein.
• 1/7/2026 – Yum! Brands had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays PLC from $175.00 to $179.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 1/6/2026 – Yum! Brands was downgraded by analysts at Oppenheimer Holdings, Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating.
• 12/29/2025 – Yum! Brands had its “buy (b)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
• 12/15/2025 – Yum! Brands had its “buy (b-)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
• 12/5/2025 – Yum! Brands had its “neutral” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Piper Sandler.
• 12/1/2025 – Yum! Brands had its “buy (b)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
• 11/25/2025 – Yum! Brands had its “buy (b)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were issued a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 2nd. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is currently 55.36%.

Insider Activity at Yum! Brands

In other Yum! Brands news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 1,755 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.81, for a total value of $261,161.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 24,332 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.10, for a total value of $3,627,901.20. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 30,695 shares of company stock valued at $4,582,843 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.