Moody's Corporation vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? Moody's Corporation trades at $494.8 (market cap $88.28B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $145.62 (market cap $40.62B). The key difference: Moody's Corporation is far larger — about 2.2× Yum! Brands, Inc.'s market cap, and Yum! Brands, Inc. pays the higher dividend (2.04%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MCO | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $88.28B | $40.62B |
Sector | Financials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $539.61 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $412.23 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $94.08B | $51.88B |
Dividend Yield | 0.82% | 2.04% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
MCO trades at $505.12, down 1.12% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages but overbought RSI readings near 76. The company shows strong fundamentals with Q1 2026 EPS beating estimates at $4.33, revenue growth to $7.72B in 2025, and robust profitability margins including a 31.69% net income margin. Recent news highlights AI integration initiatives and dividend sustainability, with a $1.03 dividend paid in June 2026.
Outlook remains positive given analyst consensus of $551.17 price target and 56% buy ratings, though valuation multiples like P/E of 36.65 pose risks if growth slows. Key risks include high debt levels and market sensitivity to credit cycles, but institutional support and recurring revenue model provide stability for long-term investors.
YUM trades at $147.44, down 0.32% amid bearish technical signals and negative news flow from a Taco Bell lettuce contamination outbreak. Fundamentally, the company shows revenue growth to $8.21B in 2025 with strong net income margins of 20.48%, though valuation ratios like P/E of 23.86 appear elevated. Recent earnings have been mixed with Q1 2026 beating expectations but Q4 2025 missing estimates.
The stock faces near-term headwinds from the food safety crisis but maintains analyst support with a $177 consensus target representing 20% upside. Long-term growth prospects remain intact with digital expansion and brand strength, though high debt levels and competitive pressures present ongoing risks for investors.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Moody's, along with S&P Ratings, is a leading provider of credit ratings on fixed income securities. Moody's ratings segment, known as Moody's Investors Service or MIS, includes corporates, structured finance, financial institutions, and public finance ratings. MIS represents a majority of the firm's revenue and profits. Moody's other segment is Moody's Analytics and consists of Research, Data, and Analytics or RD&A and Enterprise Risk Solutions or ERS. RD&A's products include credit research, quantitative credit scores, economic research, business intelligence, know your customer (KYC) tools, commercial real estate data and analytical tools, and training services. ERS includes risk management software solutions to financial institutions.
Read more on MCO →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 →