Estee Lauder Companies Inc vs Yum China Holdings Inc — how do they compare? Estee Lauder Companies Inc trades at $82.49 (market cap $29.78B), while Yum China Holdings Inc trades at $43 (market cap $14.84B). The key difference: Estee Lauder Companies Inc is far larger — about 2× Yum China Holdings Inc's market cap, and Yum China Holdings Inc pays the higher dividend (2.69%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| EL | YUMC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $29.78B | $14.84B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $119.61 | $57.95 |
52-Week Low | $67.23 | $40.18 |
Enterprise Value | $35.95B | $15.73B |
Dividend Yield | 1.7% | 2.69% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Estée Lauder (EL) trades at $82.72, up 2.3% with recent earnings beats but faces fundamental challenges including a negative net income margin of -1.67% and elevated P/E ratio of 147.8. Technical indicators show bearish momentum with support at $81 and resistance at $84. The company maintains strong gross margins at 74.71% and positive analyst sentiment with 44% buy ratings and $90.60 consensus target.
While recent earnings outperformance and strong brand positioning provide upside potential, investors face risks from declining revenue trends, negative profitability, and high valuation multiples. The stock's near-term direction will depend on Q2 2026 earnings delivery and management's ability to restore sustainable growth amid competitive pressures.
YUMC trades at $44.42, up 2.58% today, with a bullish technical signal and strong fundamental performance. The stock shows consistent earnings beats, with Q1 2026 EPS of $0.87 exceeding expectations, and maintains solid profitability with a 7.83% net income margin. Recent developments include the acquisition of Pizza Hut's mainland China operations and a $512 million share repurchase plan for H2 2026, signaling management confidence and shareholder returns.
Outlook remains positive due to steady revenue growth, expanding store footprint, and aggressive capital returns, but risks include Chinese consumer spending volatility and integration challenges from the Pizza Hut acquisition. Analyst consensus strongly favors buying, with 74% buy ratings, supporting a constructive view for long-term investors despite near-term macroeconomic headwinds.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →With almost 10,600 units and USD 9.5 billion in systemwide sales in 2020, Yum China is the largest restaurant chain in China. It generates revenue through its own restaurants and franchise fees. Key concepts include KFC (7,166 units) and Pizza Hut (2,355), but the company's portfolio also includes other brands such as Little Sheep, East Dawning, Taco Bell, Huang Ji Huang, COFFii & Joy, and Lavazza (collectively representing about 985 units). Yum China is a trademark licensee of Yum Brands, paying 3% of total systemwide sales to the company it separated from in October 2016.
Read more on YUMC →