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YUYUM

Yum! Brands, Inc.

Strong FundamentalsStrong FundamentalsRevenue growing 15% YoY at strong marginsStreet coverage with positive forward estimatesQuiet on X (77 mentions/wk)
$YUM·$42B·Restaurants·Consumer Cyclical
$150.71-1.2%YTD-2.5%1Y+4.9%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-08-29: 1 posts2026-08-30: 2 posts2026-08-31: 7 posts2026-09-01: 13 posts2026-09-02: 10 posts2026-09-03: 8 posts2026-09-04: 6 posts48
Price updated 10h ago·X counts updated 9h ago
YUYUM
$YUMYum! Brands, Inc.
$150.71-1.20%48 posts
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Top X posts

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $YUM, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Proven numbersStalledAI verdict · as of 2026-09-05

The move has stalled — likely just drifts unless something new shows up.

Yum! Brands — Q2 EPS beat 3.2%, Pizza Hut sale completed to LongRange (deleveraging), -2.5% YTD, coiled mid-range on cyclospora/tariff overhang.

Yum! Brands is the global QSR franchisor (KFC, Taco Bell, formerly Pizza Hut). The equity has stalled at mid-range as the Pizza Hut divestiture reset changes the segment mix.

  • The Pizza Hut divestiture is the strategic pivot: on September 1, YUM completed the sale of Pizza Hut to LongRange Capital — CEO Aaron Powell resigned in connection with the close, and the RemainCo (KFC + Taco Bell + Habit Burger) is a higher-margin franchise-heavy portfolio.
  • Recent earnings cadence is decisively strong: Q2 EPS $1.62 beat $1.57 by 3.2%, Q1 $1.50 beat by 8.7%, Q4 $1.73 missed by 1.7%, Q3 $1.58 beat by 6.0% — a mostly-positive beat pattern that fits a franchise-heavy compounder.
  • Fundamentals are franchise-quality: 31% ROIC, 46% gross margin, 31% op margin, 4% FCF yield, PE 24.0 — the franchise flywheel keeps ROIC high and capex low; the ROE -23% is a debt-financing artifact, not underlying return-on-capital.
  • The tape is stalled: shares at 41% of the 52-week range, -1.6% below the 50-day, -2.7% below the 200-day, beta 0.55, -2.5% YTD — a mid-range stalled setup with the Pizza Hut close as the specific fresh datapoint that the market is still digesting.

What breaks the stall up is November 3 Q3 print with RemainCo margin-expansion commentary plus specific KFC/Taco Bell same-store-sales acceleration; what keeps it stalled is another cyclospora-style food-safety headline or a Taco Bell menu-inflation-driven demand pause.

Agrees with X sentimentThe bearish framing (CDC cyclosporiasis-related deaths tied to Michigan cluster + Taco Bell recall, shares fell 2% alongside peers, menu-inflation frustration with Taco Bell boxes up 52% in a few years) captures the genuine food-safety and consumer-value overhangs. Combined with the completed Pizza Hut divestiture, this is a stalled mid-range setup at fair value.

What to watch: November 3 Q3 print — RemainCo margin-expansion commentary plus specific KFC/Taco Bell same-store-sales acceleration breaks the stall upward; another food-safety headline or Taco Bell menu-inflation demand pause keeps it stalled.

On the calendar: 2026-11-03 — Q3 earnings

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Bearish sentiment5 posts analyzed · as of 2026-08-10

Yum Brands chatter is dominated by food-safety concern after the CDC confirmed two cyclosporiasis-related deaths tied to a Michigan cluster and a Taco Bell recall. Shares fell 2% alongside restaurant peers, and posts flag menu-inflation frustration with Taco Bell boxes up 52% in a few years. Sentiment across the small sample is cautious.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $YUM

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
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What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Franchises and operates KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger Grill across 155 countries.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Restaurants sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $YUM.

Restaurants · Consumer Cyclical

Consumer restaurant spending is softening at the low end (fast food) as value perception erodes; premium casual is holding up better. Labor cost inflation and menu price moderation are the twin margin pressures for the category.

What this means for $YUM

Neutral — YUM! Brands, Inc; exposure to the industry macro driver is limited or indirect.

Industry benchmark

13-name peer basket
+12.8%YTD
-10.3%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
24.0How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
31.4%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
31.5%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
4.0%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
4.9Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
-23.3%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
45.7%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
-1.6Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Jul 30, 2026$1.62$1.57+3.2%
Q1 2026Apr 29, 2026$1.50$1.38+8.7%
Q4 2025Feb 4, 2026$1.73$1.76-1.7%
Q3 2025Nov 4, 2025$1.58$1.49+6.0%
Next earningsTue, Nov 3·consensus EPS $1.55

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q1 FY26$2.1B+15.2%44.7%31.3%$1.56$341.0M
Q4 FY25$2.5B+6.4%44.5%29.4%$1.92$482.0M
Q3 FY25$2.0B+8.4%47.0%33.6%$1.43$449.0M
Q2 FY25$1.9B+9.6%46.8%32.2%$1.34$377.0M

Forward consensus

5-year forecast · up to 15 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$9.1B$9.0B – $9.2B$6.72$6.48 – $6.8314
FY27$9.5B$8.7B – $9.8B$7.40$6.91 – $7.8215
FY28$9.9B$9.1B – $10.2B$8.16$7.99 – $8.458
FY29$10.6B$10.0B – $10.9B$9.31$8.58 – $9.627
FY30$11.1B$10.4B – $11.4B$10.73$9.88 – $11.097

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.0.7×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.41%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.-1.6%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.-2.7%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatHigh float · 275.2M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today0.6% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.β0.555-year weekly beta vs the S&P 500. Above 1.5 means the stock typically moves more than the index; below 0.8 moves less.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellSep 1Scott MezvinskyCEO268 sh$41KSellSep 1Turner Christopher LeeCEO261 sh$40KSellAug 24Tracy L SkeansCOO3.5K sh$552KSellAug 3Russell David EricPresident8.0K sh$1.2MSellAug 3Scott MezvinskyCEO268 sh$41KSellAug 3Turner Christopher LeeCEO261 sh$40KSellJul 1Aaron PowellCEO6.0K sh$963KSellJul 1Turner Christopher LeeCEO250 sh$40KSellJul 1Scott MezvinskyCEO277 sh$44KSellJun 1Turner Christopher LeeCEO270 sh$40K
1–10 of 18
+ 22 other (10 exempts · 7 returns · 2 awards · 2 inkinds · 1 other) in window

See when $YUM insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
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SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

8-KOfficer or director changeSep 18-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD · Item 8.01: Other event
AI summary

Yum! Brands, Inc. disclosed that Aaron Powell, CEO of Pizza Hut, resigned effective September 1, 2026, in connection with the closing of the 'Pizza Hut Transaction' — the completed strategic sale or spinoff of the Pizza Hut business. Yum! Brands announced the completion of the Pizza Hut Transaction and issued a related press release under Reg FD (Item 7.01). Powell's departure coincides with the completion of the strategic transaction involving the Pizza Hut brand.

8-K/AOfficer or director change (amended)Aug 288-K/A — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
AI summary

Yum! Brands, Inc. amended its August 20, 2026, Form 8-K to disclose that newly-appointed board director Steve Bratspies was assigned to the Management Planning and Development Committee, effective August 27, 2026. The original 8-K reported his board appointment; this amendment provides the committee assignment. Routine governance update with no material business or financial implications.

3New insider — initial holdingsAug 273
AI summary

A new director of Yum Brands, Inc. filed a Form 3 reporting no beneficial ownership of Yum securities as of August 26, 2026. This is a routine initial director ownership report with no economic significance.

8-KOfficer or director changeAug 218-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
AI summary

Yum! Brands (YUM) appointed Steve Bratspies as a director effective August 26, 2026; he will stand for election at the next annual meeting of shareholders and has not been assigned to any board committee at the time of filing. Compensation follows the company's standard non-employee director arrangements as described in the most recent proxy. Routine board addition; Bratspies brings consumer/retail industry expertise relevant to Yum!'s global restaurant portfolio.

8-K/AOfficer or director change (amended)Aug 78-K/A — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
AI summary

BRANDS, INC. (YUM) disclosed an officer or director change (Item 5.02) on 2026-08-07. This is an amended 8-K filing. Details: Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. Executive transitions are administrative disclosures; materiality depends on the seniority of the affected position. No financial terms were disclosed in this filing.

8-KAcquisition completedAug 78-K — Item 1.01: Material agreement · Item 2.01: Acquisition completed · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

BRANDS, INC. (YUM) entered into License Agreement (the “ A&R MLA ”) with Yum Restaurants Consulting (Shanghai) Company with a counterparty on 2026-08-07, involving an undisclosed amount. Other items: Item 2.01, Item 7.01. . This is a material definitive agreement (Item 1.01) requiring immediate disclosure under SEC rules. Investors should review the agreement terms for financial obligations, dilution, or strategic implications.

8-KMaterial agreementJun 168-K — Item 1.01: Material agreement · Item 8.01: Other event
AI summary

Yum! Brands entered an Equity Purchase Agreement on June 16, 2026, with Toppings TopCo LLC (a Delaware LLC) to sell the global Pizza Hut and Telepizza restaurant business — encompassing development, ownership, operation, franchising, licensing, and related technology assets globally, excluding the People's Republic of China. Major strategic divestiture; Pizza Hut is a foundational Yum! brand, and this sale would significantly reshape Yum!'s portfolio and capital allocation strategy. Subject to customary regulatory and closing conditions.

8-KPress release / Reg FDJun 168-K — Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

Yum! Brands issued a press release on June 16, 2026, announcing the entry into definitive agreements for the sale of its global Pizza Hut business, excluding restaurants in the People's Republic of China. This significant strategic divestiture would separate Yum!'s second-largest brand from its KFC and Taco Bell operations; specific deal terms were announced via press release but are not in the available excerpt.

+ 16 other (4 13Gs · 3 8-Ks · 2 10-Qs · 2 earnings 8-Ks) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Yum! Brands, Inc. to Participate in the Barclays Annual Global Consumer Conferencebusinesswire.com·2d agoDropping the Dough: Yum! Brands Strategically Trims the Fatmarketbeat.com·2d agoLongRange Capital Completes Acquisition of Pizza Hut from Yum! Brandsbusinesswire.com·4d agoYum! Brands Completes Sale of Pizza Hut to LongRange Capitalbusinesswire.com·4d agoYum! Brands, Inc. Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.75 Per Sharegurufocus.com·8d ago

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