Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM) Stock Price & Analysis
Market: NYSE • Sector: Consumer Cyclical • Industry: Restaurants
Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM) Profile & Business Summary
YUM! Brands, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and franchises quick service restaurants worldwide. It operates through four segments: the KFC Division, the Taco Bell Division, the Pizza Hut Division, and the Habit Burger Grill Division. The company operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill brands, which specialize in chicken, pizza, made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches, Mexican-style food categories, and other food products. As of December 31, 2021, it had 26,934 KFC units; 18,381 Pizza Hut units; 7,791 Taco Bell units; and 318 The Habit Burger Grill units in approximately 157 countries and territories. The company was formerly known as TRICON Global Restaurants, Inc. and changed its name to YUM! Brands, Inc. in May 2002. YUM! Brands, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
Key Information
| Ticker | YUM |
|---|---|
| Exchange | NYSE |
| Official Site | https://www.yum.com |
Market Trend Overview for YUM
One model, two time views: what the market looks like right now, and where the larger trend is heading over time.
SRE (WhaleQuant Structural Regime Engine) SRE evaluates how price structure evolves across daily and weekly timeframes to define the prevailing market regime. Beyond identifying trends, consolidations, and exhaustion phases, it distinguishes between raw structural strength and deployable participation quality. The model dynamically adjusts for structural context and extension risk, assessing whether conditions are supportive, stretched, fragile, or structurally impaired. Its purpose is not to forecast precise price levels, but to determine whether risk deployment is aligned with underlying market structure.
Longer-Term Market Trend (Mid to Long Term)
Shows the bigger market trend, how strong it is, and where risks may start to build over the next few weeks or months. — Updated as of 2026-08-28 (ET)
As of 2026-08-28, YUM is starting to move higher. Over the longer term, the trend remains bullish.
YUM last closed at 153.86. The price is about 0.8 ATR above its recent average price (151.21), and the market is currently in an early upward move. Price at 153.86 is holding above light support near 149.51. If price continues higher, it may face light resistance around 154.78. View Support & Resistance from Options
Short-term weakness is unfolding within a broader uptrend, suggesting a pullback rather than a full trend reversal.
Trend score: 80 out of 100. Overall alignment is strong. The market is currently in an early-stage uptrend. Trend signals are well aligned across timeframes, suggesting a stable and consistent trend.
There is no clear key risk boundary right now.
A systematic trend-activation signal was most recently triggered on 2026-08-24, reflecting a technical shift toward positive directional alignment.
[2026-08-18] Price moved quickly and looked strong, but participation was limited.
Recent bars show mixed price behavior without a clear shift in structural quality or efficiency.
There was no clear sign of meaningful positions being carried into the overnight session.
The model sees a credible bullish edge, with 68.5% upside probability, strong signal alignment, and reward/risk that remains meaningfully favorable.
Up probability is 68.5%, with predictability at 65% and signal agreement at 93%. Reversal risk is 11%, while reward/risk stands at 0.36. That suggests the directional case is supported by broad confirmation and still retains usable quality.
NOTE: This next-day up/down probability forecast module is still being tested for accuracy. Please do not rely on it for investment decisions. The model does not account for black swan events or company-specific fundamental news, and its estimates are based solely on technical conditions, capital flow, and market sentiment. View forecast history
This estimate uses 1-minute price, volume, and VWAP data from the last 27 trading days, with turnover-based decay. The sample period is 2026-07-23 to 2026-08-28. The current price is 153.86, 2.10% above the estimated average cost of 150.69. An estimated 81.9% of recent positioning is below the current price, while 17.8% is above it. The peak-density price is 151.55. The largest concentrated cost region is 150.03 to 152.83 and contains 36.2% of the estimated distribution. The nearest region below the current price is 153.18 to 153.38. The nearest region above the current price is 153.88 to 153.93.
Short Interest & Covering Risk for YUM
This analysis looks at overall short interest positioning, focusing on the broader setup rather than short-term noise.
Shows how likely a short squeeze may be under current market conditions.
Short Exposure Percentile
Short interest is within its typical range, with no clear imbalance between buyers and sellers. (Historical percentile: 56%)
Structure Analysis
YUM Short positioning looks normal. Current days to cover is 2.8 trading days, meaning short positions could unwind at a normal pace. Short covering is likely to have a normal impact on price moves. No meaningful structural fragility is currently detected (Fragility Score 6/100, DTC percentile 14%).
Risk Summary
No clear bull trap characteristics detected. Recent price behavior remains broadly consistent with current positioning.This reading helps confirm that current price action remains structurally healthy and does not indicate elevated trap risk.
Why Price Reactions May Be Stronger?
Price action is compressing (range is tightening), which can make breaks more sensitive. Adaptive thresholds applied to liquidity weakness, near-high detection, and compression sensitivity. As a result, similar news or market events could lead to price moves about 1× larger than usual.
Note:
Short interest data is reported every two weeks by
FINRA.
The most recent snapshot is
2026-07-31 (ET).
Because this data updates slowly, it is not intended to predict short-term price moves. Instead, it helps describe longer-term market structure and where pressure may be building if prices begin to move.