Valero Energy Corporation vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? Valero Energy Corporation trades at $434.85 (market cap $127.78B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $144.69 (market cap $39.02B). The key difference: Valero Energy Corporation is far larger — about 3.3× Yum! Brands, Inc.'s market cap, and Yum! Brands, Inc. pays the higher dividend (2.1%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Valero Energy Corporation for 56 Days and Yum! Brands, Inc. for 132 Days on average.
| VLO | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $127.78B | $39.02B |
Volume | 2,570,225 | 2,597,636 |
Sector | Energy | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $443.80 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $156.39 | $135.77 |
Typical Hold Time | 56 Days | 132 Days |
Enterprise Value | $131.26B | $50.63B |
Dividend Yield | 1.08% | 2.1% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Valero Energy (VLO) trades at $433.75, up 2.28% today, approaching its 52-week high. The stock shows strong technical momentum with bullish moving averages, though RSI levels suggest overbought conditions. Fundamentally, VLO has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters, with Q3 2026 expected at $20.17 EPS. Revenue declined to $122.69B in 2025, but net income margin improved to 5.17%. The company maintains a solid balance sheet with a debt-to-asset ratio of 18.31% as of 2024.
VLO's outlook is supported by robust refining margins and a favorable analyst consensus, with 54% buy ratings and a $408.10 price target. Key risks include potential diesel export bans and volatile energy markets. Investors should weigh strong cash flow projections against cyclical industry headwinds for balanced exposure.
YUM stock trades at $145.15, up 3.42% today, with a bullish technical signal and strong support at $141. Revenue grew to $8.21B in 2025, with net income of $1.56B and a 25.4% net margin. The company recently sold Pizza Hut for $1.5B, focusing on KFC and Taco Bell, and declared a $0.75 dividend payable September 18, 2026.
Outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $170.44, though high debt and competitive pressures pose risks. Earnings beat expectations in two of the last three quarters, and cash flow from operations is robust at $2.01B, supporting shareholder returns amid a hold-heavy analyst rating.
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Valero Energy is one of the largest independent refiners in the United States. It operates 14 refineries with a total throughput capacity of 3.2 million barrels a day in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Valero also owns 14 ethanol plants with capacity of 1.7 billion gallons of ethanol a year and holds a 50% stake in Diamond Green Diesel, which has capacity to produce 700 million gallons per year of renewable diesel.
Read more on VLO →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 →