Estee Lauder Companies Inc vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? Estee Lauder Companies Inc trades at $87.54 (market cap $31.76B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $150 (market cap $39.50B). The key difference: Yum! Brands, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and Yum! Brands, Inc. pays the higher dividend (2.07%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| EL | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $31.76B | $39.50B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $119.61 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $67.23 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $37.93B | $51.10B |
Dividend Yield | 1.59% | 2.07% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
EL trades at $87.70, up 0.58% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a consensus price target of $91.67. Recent quarterly earnings have consistently beaten expectations, though the company reported a net loss of $1.13 billion for 2025. Revenue has declined from $17.7 billion in 2022 to $14.33 billion in 2025, but positive cash flow from operations of $1.27 billion provides liquidity. A new fragrance launch and executive appointment signal ongoing brand development efforts.
The stock presents a mixed outlook. Analyst sentiment is divided with a slight Hold bias, yet technical momentum and earnings beats offer near-term upside potential. Key risks include sustained negative net income margins, high debt levels, and competitive pressures in the beauty sector. The upcoming Q2 2026 earnings report on August 19, 2026, will be critical for validating the recent positive earnings trend and guiding future price direction.
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
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 →