AstraZeneca plc vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? AstraZeneca plc trades at $158.4 (market cap $248.14B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $144.74 (market cap $39.50B). The key difference: AstraZeneca plc is far larger — about 6.3× Yum! Brands, Inc.'s market cap, and Yum! Brands, Inc. pays the higher dividend (2.07%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AZN | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $248.14B | $39.50B |
Sector | Health | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $209.48 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $147.06 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $275.41B | $51.10B |
Dividend Yield | 2.01% | 2.07% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
AstraZeneca (AZN) trades at $158.48, down 2.12% amid bearish technical signals and merger speculation. The stock shows strong fundamentals with revenue growth from $54.1B in 2024 to $58.7B in 2025 and net income reaching $10.2B. Recent earnings beats and a 47.5% analyst buy rating contrast with technical indicators showing oversold conditions near key support at $155.
Investment outlook remains positive based on earnings momentum and valuation metrics (P/E 23.76), though risks include potential merger integration challenges and ongoing legal investigations. The company's robust cash flow generation and dividend payments provide shareholder value support despite near-term volatility.
YUM trades at $150.15, up 3.32% in the past 24 hours, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages but neutral oscillators. Recent earnings show a Q2 2026 beat with EPS of $1.62 versus $1.57 expected, while revenue grew to $8.21B in 2025. The company completed the sale of Pizza Hut China for $1.2B in August 2026, aiming to streamline operations and reduce debt. Cash flow from operations improved to $2.01B in 2025, supporting a dividend payment of $0.75 per share.
The outlook is mixed, with analyst consensus leaning hold (56.87%) but a price target of $174.60 implying 16% upside. Risks include ongoing legal investigations and a parasite outbreak impacting Taco Bell sales, though management reports recovery. Debt remains high at $11.25B long-term, but the debt-to-asset ratio improved to 143.49 in 2025. Execution on digital growth and brand focus post-Pizza Hut sale are key to unlocking value.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
A merger between Astra of Sweden and Zeneca Group of the United Kingdom formed AstraZeneca in 1999. The firm sells branded drugs across several major therapeutic classes, including gastrointestinal, diabetes, cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer, and immunology. The majority of sales come from international markets with the United States representing close to one third of its sales.
Read more on AZN →Yum Brands is a U.S.-based restaurant operator featuring a portfolio of four brands: KFC (26,930 global units), Pizza Hut (18,380 units), Taco Bell (7,790 units), and The Habit Burger (310 units) at year-end 2021. With $58 billion in 2021 systemwide sales, the firm is the second-largest restaurant company in the world, behind McDonald's ($112.5 billion) but ahead of Restaurant Brands International ($36 billion) and Starbucks ($25 billion). Yum is 98% franchised, with the largest franchisee, Yum China, created via a 2016 spinoff transaction (after which Yum China agreed to pay 3% royalties to Yum Brands in perpetuity). Yum is the newest evolution of Tricon Brands, formerly a division of PepsiCo, and generates the bulk of its revenue from franchise royalties and marketing contributions.
Read more on YUM →