YUM Stock — Yum! Brands Inc.

Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM)

Updated October 16, 2026.

YUM is a Stock. its distribution rate is 1.99%, its trailing-12-month yield is 1.97%. Dividend Vision Distribution Safety Score™ is 100/100 (Safe). Total return is 4224.6% over the past 29.1 years, 2995.8 points ahead of SPY at 1228.8%.

Yum! Brands develops, operates, and franchises quick-service restaurants under the KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger & Grill brands, with operations across the United States, China, and internationally. The company offers a modest current distribution rate paid quarterly to shareholders. Yum! Brands appeals to income-focused investors seeking dividend exposure in the restaurant and franchising sector.

YUM performance versus SPY

Price and return data through 2026-10-16.

Total return is 4224.6% over the past 29.1 years, 2995.8 points ahead of SPY at 1228.8%. Over the past year its total return — price change plus distributions reinvested — is 7.0%. Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 18.5%.

YUM key facts

Distribution Safety Score™

100 · Safe

Safety-Adjusted Yield

1.99%

Asset type

Stock

Asset class

Equity

Inception date

09/17/1997

Distribution rate

1.99%

Distribution frequency

Quarterly

Trailing yield

1.97%

5-year average yield

1.83

Last close

$150.51 (stale; as of 2026-10-16)

Market cap

$41,074,342,303

Average volume

2020100.0

Dividend

$0.75

Ex-dividend date

09/09/2026

Payment date

09/18/2026

Beta

0.546

Payout ratio

46.0%

P/E ratio

18.72

Forward P/E

20.4499

EPS

$8.04

How Dividend Vision calculates yield and returns

Distribution rate (1.99%) uses calculation basis unavailable. Issuer rates can use a different denominator and date, including ex-date NAV. Trailing-12-month yield (1.97%) is the sum of split-adjusted cash distributions with ex-dates in the last 12 months, divided by the published price. It lags a recent raise or cut. Total return uses split-adjusted close with distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date) from the first stored bar on or after inception through the latest bar, compared with the same window on the benchmark. That is the security's total return, not your personal gain/loss.

Yield and safety methodology · Distribution rate methodology · Distribution Safety Score methodology

Sources and review

Primary sources: prices and distributions from Dividend Vision, derived from vendor EOD data.

Reviewed by Bert Sweet, CEO and Co-owner of Dividend Vision. Methodology: Distribution Safety Score.

YUM risks and drawbacks

YUM's current distribution rate is moderate, not a high-yield payout — the strategy is dividend quality more than maximum income. Payments are quarterly, so cash flow is lumpy versus a monthly fund. The deepest 1-year drawdown on record here is 18.5%.

Who may consider YUM — and who may not

YUM may suit someone looking for a high Distribution Safety Score. It is a weaker fit for investors who need monthly cash flow (YUM pays quarterly); investors hunting double-digit covered-call yields. This is educational context, not a recommendation to buy or sell.

More on YUM

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Tagged: Dividend.

Frequently asked questions