Yum! Brands, Inc. · YUM · FY2025 Q4 · Calendar Q1 2026
Yum! Brands: Digital scale and unit growth lead the 2025 outlook
The current evidence supports a constructive operating thesis: KFC and Taco Bell growth, digital scale, international expansion, and franchisee economics remain central supports. The thesis is not settled because Pizza Hut's review, KFC development sustainability, and execution against 2026 targets remain material uncertainties.
Earnings scorecard
Reported versus consensusMarket reaction
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Transcript intelligence
What changed
Since the prior quarter, management emphasized a broader raise-the-bar strategy, reported digital sales above $11 billion with Byte operating across about 38,000 restaurants, and highlighted KFC's 30,000th international restaurant. Pizza Hut's review and Taco Bell's acquisition remain important strategic threads.
Guidance delta
Maintained. Management expressed confidence in achieving or exceeding its 2026 operating profit growth targets.
Key takeaways
- KFC and Taco Bell were the main operating growth engines, with record international KFC openings and strong Taco Bell momentum.
- Digital sales exceeded $11 billion and the digital mix approached 60%; Byte now supports about 38,000 restaurants.
- Pizza Hut remains under strategic review, while management prioritizes international expansion, loyalty, and franchisee economics.
Management priorities
- Execute the raise-the-bar strategy around consumer focus, restaurant-level economics, and Byte expansion.
- Advance Taco Bell's 2030 goals and expand KFC in under-penetrated international markets.
- Roll out Byte smart-ops and digital-ordering initiatives, broaden loyalty, and progress Pizza Hut strategic options.
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Try FN2 freeEarnings History
Analyst 52W Price Targets
Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Sep 30, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.
Firm-level rating actions
FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.
| Firm | Rating | Prior rating | Action | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argus Research | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Sep 24, 2026 |
| Baird | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Sep 16, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Overweight | Equal Weight | Upgrade | Sep 10, 2026 |
| JP Morgan | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Aug 4, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Sector Perform | Sector Perform | Maintain | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Citigroup | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jul 13, 2026 |
| TD Cowen | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Jun 16, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Overweight | Equal Weight | Upgrade | Jun 3, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI Group | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Feb 13, 2026 |
| Gordon Haskett | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Jan 8, 2026 |
| Oppenheimer | Perform | Outperform | Downgrade | Jan 7, 2026 |
| Barclays | Overweight | Overweight | Maintain | Jan 7, 2026 |
| Piper Sandler | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Nov 5, 2025 |
| BMO Capital | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Bernstein | Market Perform | Market Perform | Maintain | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Guggenheim | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Oct 28, 2025 |
| Redburn Atlantic | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Jun 10, 2025 |
| Goldman Sachs | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Jun 4, 2025 |
| TD Securities | Hold | Hold | Maintain | May 1, 2025 |
| Stifel | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Feb 28, 2025 |
| UBS | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Feb 7, 2025 |
| Loop Capital | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Nov 6, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Nov 6, 2024 |
| B of A Securities | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Oct 22, 2024 |
| Credit Suisse | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | May 4, 2023 |
| Cowen & Co. | Outperform | Outperform | Maintain | Feb 9, 2023 |
| Atlantic Equities | Overweight | Neutral | Upgrade | Dec 9, 2021 |
| MKM Partners | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jan 7, 2021 |
| CFRA | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Apr 30, 2020 |
| Jefferies | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Apr 22, 2020 |
| BTIG Research | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Feb 7, 2020 |
| BTIG | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Feb 7, 2020 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Hold | Hold | Maintain | Oct 31, 2019 |
| Longbow Research | Underperform | Neutral | Downgrade | Jul 1, 2019 |
| KeyBanc | Equal Weight | Sector Weight | Maintain | Oct 4, 2018 |
| Argus | Buy | Buy | Maintain | May 5, 2018 |
| Nomura Instinet | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Jan 30, 2018 |
| Instinet | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Jan 30, 2018 |
| Edward Jones | Buy | Hold | Upgrade | Jan 26, 2018 |
| Nomura | Buy | Buy | Maintain | Nov 3, 2017 |
| Bank of America | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Oct 6, 2017 |
| Mizuho | Neutral | Neutral | Maintain | Jun 9, 2017 |
| CLSA | Underperform | Underperform | Maintain | Jul 14, 2016 |
| OTR Global | Sell | Negative | Maintain | Nov 9, 2015 |
| Janney Montgomery Scott | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Nov 20, 2014 |
| Janney Capital | Buy | Neutral | Upgrade | Nov 20, 2014 |
| FirstEnergy Capital | Outperform | Market Perform | Upgrade | Mar 20, 2014 |
| Buckingham Research | Neutral | Buy | Downgrade | Aug 13, 2013 |
| Raymond James | Market Perform | Underperform | Upgrade | Apr 25, 2013 |
| Argus Capital | Hold | Buy | Downgrade | Jan 17, 2013 |
| Susquehanna | Neutral | Positive | Downgrade | Nov 30, 2012 |
Named analyst price targets
Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $137.73. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.
| Firm | Analyst | 52W target | Price when posted | Upside | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert W. Baird | Chris O'Cull | $165 | $140.77 | +19.8% | Sep 16, 2026 |
| Seaport Global | Analyst unavailable | $162 | $140.77 | +17.6% | Sep 16, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Zachary Fadem | $175 | $145.09 | +27.1% | Sep 10, 2026 |
| Argus Research | John Staszak | $180 | $143.7 | +30.7% | Aug 17, 2026 |
| RBC Capital | Logan Reich | $170 | $153.92 | +23.4% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Lauren Silberman | $174 | $153.16 | +26.3% | Jul 31, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Brian Harbour | $185 | $146.58 | +34.3% | Jun 3, 2026 |
| BMO Capital | Andrew Strelzik | $168 | $156.76 | +22.0% | May 4, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $180 | $157.71 | +30.7% | May 1, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Analyst unavailable | $177 | $159.46 | +28.5% | Apr 30, 2026 |
| Deutsche Bank | Lauren Silberman | $171 | $161.46 | +24.2% | Apr 15, 2026 |
| Evercore ISI | Analyst unavailable | $190 | $162.04 | +38.0% | Feb 13, 2026 |
| Guggenheim | Gregory Francfort | $180 | $159.06 | +30.7% | Feb 12, 2026 |
| Wells Fargo | Analyst unavailable | $160 | $159.57 | +16.2% | Feb 5, 2026 |
| BMO Capital | Analyst unavailable | $165 | $159.57 | +19.8% | Feb 5, 2026 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $185 | $159.57 | +34.3% | Feb 5, 2026 |
| UBS | Dennis Geiger | $180 | $157.16 | +30.7% | Feb 2, 2026 |
| Morgan Stanley | Brian Harbour | $176 | $157.23 | +27.8% | Jan 20, 2026 |
| Gordon Haskett Capital Corporation | Analyst unavailable | $176 | $152.64 | +27.8% | Jan 8, 2026 |
| Bernstein | Jeffrey Bernstein | $179 | $151.41 | +30.0% | Jan 7, 2026 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Chris O'Cull | $160 | $148.03 | +16.2% | Nov 17, 2025 |
| Goldman Sachs | Analyst unavailable | $177 | $148.31 | +28.5% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Piper Sandler | Brian Mullan | $158 | $148.52 | +14.7% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $175 | $149.55 | +27.1% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Bernstein | Danilo Gargiulo | $160 | $149.55 | +16.2% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Evercore ISI | David Palmer | $180 | $149.55 | +30.7% | Nov 5, 2025 |
| Guggenheim | Gregory Francfort | $160 | $142.38 | +16.2% | Oct 28, 2025 |
| Barclays | Analyst unavailable | $163 | $148.53 | +18.3% | Oct 22, 2025 |
| Morgan Stanley | Analyst unavailable | $165 | $148.16 | +19.8% | Oct 21, 2025 |
| RBC Capital | Logan Reich | $165 | $146.03 | +19.8% | Oct 8, 2025 |
| Piper Sandler | Brian Mullan | $157 | $153.19 | +14.0% | Oct 2, 2025 |
| Bernstein | Jeffrey Bernstein | $164 | $139.5 | +19.1% | Aug 5, 2025 |
| Guggenheim | Analyst unavailable | $167 | $147 | +21.3% | Aug 4, 2025 |
| Oppenheimer | Brian Bittner | $185 | $147.3 | +34.3% | Apr 28, 2025 |
| Robert W. Baird | David Tarantino | $174 | $143.47 | +26.3% | Apr 7, 2025 |
| Piper Sandler | Brian Mullan | $150 | $161.45 | +8.9% | Apr 3, 2025 |
| Robert W. Baird | Analyst unavailable | $176 | $159.37 | +27.8% | Mar 5, 2025 |
| Bernstein | Jeffrey Bernstein | $162 | $128.55 | +17.6% | Jan 7, 2025 |
| Citigroup | Jon Tower | $162 | $133.35 | +17.6% | Oct 17, 2024 |
| Loop Capital Markets | Alton Stump | $143 | $136.85 | +3.8% | Aug 7, 2024 |
| Citigroup | Jon Tower | $160 | $136.85 | +16.2% | Aug 6, 2024 |
| Deutsche Bank | Lauren Silberman | $143 | $133.32 | +3.8% | Aug 6, 2024 |
| Stifel Nicolaus | Chris O'Cull | $130 | $126.93 | -5.6% | Jul 22, 2024 |
| Loop Capital Markets | Alton Stump | $135 | $128.31 | -2.0% | Jul 19, 2024 |
| Morgan Stanley | Brian Harbour | $153 | $128.1 | +11.1% | Jul 16, 2024 |
| Evercore ISI | David Palmer | $145 | $127.89 | +5.3% | Jul 16, 2024 |
| Guggenheim | Gregory Francfort | $145 | $129.17 | +5.3% | Jul 11, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | Christine Cho | $150 | $137.3 | +8.9% | Jun 13, 2024 |
| Bernstein | Jeffrey Bernstein | $148 | $135.33 | +7.5% | May 2, 2024 |
| BMO Capital | Andrew Strelzik | $135 | $135.33 | -2.0% | May 2, 2024 |
| Oppenheimer | Brian Bittner | $154 | $128.34 | +11.8% | Jan 5, 2024 |
| Goldman Sachs | Jared Garber | $135 | $118.15 | -2.0% | Jul 18, 2022 |
| Citigroup | Jon Tower | $156 | $122.97 | +13.3% | Apr 16, 2022 |
| Guggenheim | Gregory Francfort | $153 | $123 | +11.1% | Feb 15, 2022 |
| Morgan Stanley | John Glass | $150 | $126.47 | +8.9% | Jan 14, 2022 |
| Bank of America Securities | Sara Senatore | $157 | $130.06 | +14.0% | Jan 11, 2022 |
| UBS | Dennis Geiger | $155 | $136.29 | +12.5% | Jan 6, 2022 |
| Jefferies | Andy Barish | $124 | $131.32 | -10.0% | Dec 17, 2021 |
| Atlantic Equities | Edward Lewis | $151 | $132.5 | +9.6% | Dec 9, 2021 |
| BMO Capital | Andrew Strelzik | $130 | $123.87 | -5.6% | Oct 29, 2021 |
| MKM Partners | Brett Levy | $145 | $124.8 | +5.3% | Oct 28, 2021 |
| Wells Fargo | Roger Read | $144 | $125.37 | +4.6% | Oct 18, 2021 |
| Loop Capital Markets | Alton Stump | $120 | $122.54 | -12.9% | Oct 5, 2021 |
| Argus Research | John Staszak | $145 | $129.78 | +5.3% | Jul 30, 2021 |
| J.P. Morgan | John Ivankoe | $120 | $114.52 | -12.9% | Apr 12, 2021 |
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Start freeCompany context
Snapshot as of publicationYUM! Brands, Inc. (YUM) is a leading global quick-service restaurant enterprise that focuses on the creation, management, and franchising of its restaurant concepts internationally. Its business is organized into four main divisions: KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and The Habit Burger Grill. The company operates establishments under these well-known brands, offering diverse food categories such as chicken, pizza, Mexican-style dishes, and made-to-order chargrilled burgers and sandwiches, among other food products. As of December 31, 2021, YUM! Brands boasted a significant worldwide presence, comprising 26,934 KFC outlets, 18,381 Pizza Hut locations, 7,791 Taco Bell restaurants, and 318 The Habit Burger Grill units, spread across roughly 157 countries and territories. The company, which maintains its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, was established in 1997. It was formerly known as TRICON Global Restaurants, Inc., before officially adopting the name YUM! Brands, Inc. in May 2002.
Historical context
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Latest beats and misses
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Get the YUM recap when the next report posts
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Sources
- Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
- FN2 earnings calendar · 2026-07-26T00:37:12.209961+00:00
- Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-09-30T00:01:01.403092+00:00
- Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-09-30T00:01:01.400296+00:00
Methodology
Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.
Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.
Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.
By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-09-30. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.