Estee Lauder Companies Inc vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? Estee Lauder Companies Inc trades at $98.13 (market cap $34.17B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $145.1 (market cap $39.02B). The key difference: Estee Lauder Companies Inc and Yum! Brands, Inc. are close in size by market cap, and Yum! Brands, Inc. pays the higher dividend (2.1%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Estee Lauder Companies Inc for 122 Days and Yum! Brands, Inc. for 132 Days on average.
| EL | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $34.17B | $39.02B |
Volume | 3,921,497 | 2,597,636 |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $119.61 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $67.23 | $135.77 |
Typical Hold Time | 122 Days | 132 Days |
Enterprise Value | $39.92B | $50.63B |
Dividend Yield | 1.48% | 2.1% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Estée Lauder (EL) trades at $97.81, up 3.56% with recent earnings beats but faces fundamental challenges including a net loss of $1.13B in 2025. The stock shows neutral technical signals with support at $90 and resistance at $98, while analyst consensus remains positive with a $103 price target. Recent developments include AI partnerships and leadership changes aimed at revitalizing the brand.
The outlook hinges on margin recovery and revenue stabilization, with 2026 projections showing a return to profitability. Key risks include competitive pressures and execution of turnaround strategy, but institutional sentiment remains cautiously optimistic given the company's strong brand portfolio and digital initiatives.
YUM stock trades at $145.15, up 3.42% today, with a bullish technical signal and strong support at $141. Revenue grew to $8.21B in 2025, with net income of $1.56B and a 25.4% net margin. The company recently sold Pizza Hut for $1.5B, focusing on KFC and Taco Bell, and declared a $0.75 dividend payable September 18, 2026.
Outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $170.44, though high debt and competitive pressures pose risks. Earnings beat expectations in two of the last three quarters, and cash flow from operations is robust at $2.01B, supporting shareholder returns amid a hold-heavy analyst rating.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Estee Lauder is the world leader in the global prestige beauty market, participating across skincare (56% of fiscal 2022 sales), makeup (26%), fragrance (14%), and haircare (4%) categories, with popular brands such as Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC, La Mer, Jo Malone, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Too Faced, Origins, Dr. Jart+, and The Ordinary. The firm operates in 150 countries, with 26% of fiscal 2022 revenue stemming from the Americas, 43% from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and 31% from Asia-Pacific. The company sells its products through department stores, travel retail, multi-brand specialty beauty stores, brand-dedicated freestanding stores, e-commerce, salons/spas, and perfumeries.
Read more on EL →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 →