McCormick & Company, Incorporated vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? McCormick & Company, Incorporated trades at $52.01 (market cap $14.04B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $146.38 (market cap $40.62B). The key difference: Yum! Brands, Inc. is far larger — about 2.9× McCormick & Company, Incorporated's market cap, and McCormick & Company, Incorporated pays the higher dividend (3.68%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MKC | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $14.04B | $40.62B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $72.81 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $45.60 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $18.65B | $51.88B |
Dividend Yield | 3.68% | 2.04% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
MKC trades at $52.35, up 1.26% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and neutral oscillators. The stock shows strong profitability with a 21.91% net margin and 25.7% ROE, supported by recent Q2 2026 earnings beating estimates. Valuation appears attractive with a P/E of 8.69 and P/S of 1.9. The pending Unilever Foods deal, highlighted in recent news (The Motley Fool, 2026-07-07), could transform the business, though organic growth remains modest.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic with 36.7% of analysts rating it Buy and a consensus price target of $59.67 (13.9% upside). Key risks include soft consumer volumes and execution challenges from the Unilever integration. Positive cash flow projections for 2026 and a sustainable dividend enhance appeal, but investors should monitor volume trends and deal progress closely.
YUM trades at $147.10, down 0.55% amid a cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to Taco Bell lettuce. Technicals are bearish with key support at $145, while fundamentals show steady revenue growth to $8.21B in 2025 and a net margin of 20.48%. The company maintains strong cash flow from operations of $2.01B but carries high long-term debt of $11.25B.
Despite near-term headwinds from food safety concerns, YUM's diversified brand portfolio and consistent profitability support a positive long-term outlook. Analyst consensus price target of $177 suggests 20% upside, but investors should monitor outbreak resolution and Q2 2026 earnings due soon.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
In its 130-year history, McCormick has grown to become the leading global manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of spices, herbs, extracts, seasonings, and other flavorings. Beyond end consumers, McCormick's customer base also includes top quick-service restaurants, retail grocery chains, and other packaged food and beverage manufacturers, with about 30% of sales generated beyond its home turf to include 150 other countries and territories. In addition to its namesake brand, the firm's portfolio includes Old Bay, Zatarain's, Thai Kitchen, Frank's RedHot, French's, and the recently acquired Cholula brand.
Read more on MKC →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 →