Hilton Hotels Corporation Common Stock vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? Hilton Hotels Corporation Common Stock trades at $314 (market cap $70.82B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $144.74 (market cap $39.50B). The key difference: Hilton Hotels Corporation Common Stock 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.
| HLT | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $70.82B | $39.50B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $350.22 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $256.75 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $83.83B | $51.10B |
Dividend Yield | 0.19% | 2.07% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Hilton Worldwide Holdings (HLT) trades at $323.16, up 3.91% over 24 hours, with a bullish analyst consensus of 57% buy ratings and a $352 price target. Recent earnings have consistently beaten estimates, with Q2 2026 EPS at $2.29 matching expectations. The stock shows bearish technical signals but strong fundamentals, including revenue growth to $12.04B in 2025 and a net income margin of 12.69%. However, rising debt levels and a high P/E ratio of 46.21 pose valuation concerns.
The outlook for HLT is positive due to robust travel demand and a growing hotel pipeline, though premium valuation and increasing debt require caution. Investment opportunity lies in sustained earnings growth and capital returns, while risks include economic sensitivity and labor disputes, as highlighted by ongoing strikes and soft Q3 guidance affecting investor sentiment.
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
Hilton Worldwide Holdings operates 1,074,791 rooms across its 18 brands addressing the midscale through luxury segments as of Dec. 31, 2021. Hampton and Hilton are the two largest brands by total room count at 28% and 21%, respectively, as of Dec. 31, 2021. Recent brands launched over the last few years include Home2, Curio, Canopy, Tru, and Tempo. Managed and franchised represent the vast majority of adjusted EBITDA, predominantly from the Americas regions.
Read more on HLT →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 →