Should You Buy Yum! Brands Inc (YUM) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/26
Yum! Brands Inc. is not a strong buy at the moment for a beginner investor with a long-term strategy. While the company has shown consistent financial growth and has positive catalysts such as potential divestitures and strong brand performance, the technical indicators and options data suggest a neutral to slightly bearish sentiment in the short term. Additionally, the lack of strong trading signals and mixed analyst ratings make it prudent to hold off on buying at this time.
Technical Analysis
The stock's MACD is negative and expanding downward, indicating bearish momentum. RSI is neutral at 39.574, showing no clear signal. Moving averages are bullish (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200), but the current price is near a key support level (S1: 153.252). The stock is trading pre-market at $153.02, slightly above the support level, with resistance at $156.545.
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Analyst ratings are mixed. Recent upgrades include Gordon Haskett upgrading to Buy with a $176 price target, citing potential Pizza Hut divestiture. However, Oppenheimer downgraded to Perform, citing balanced risk/reward after strong 2025 performance. Price targets range from $160 to $179, with most analysts maintaining Neutral or Hold ratings.
Wall Street analysts forecast YUM stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for YUM is 164.33 USD with a low forecast of 145 USD and a high forecast of 185 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
Wall Street analysts forecast YUM stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for YUM is 164.33 USD with a low forecast of 145 USD and a high forecast of 185 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
Current: 153.880
Current: 153.880
