Wendys Co vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? Wendys Co trades at $7.61 (market cap $1.50B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $148 (market cap $40.62B). The key difference: Yum! Brands, Inc. is far larger — about 27.1× Wendys Co's market cap, and Wendys Co pays the higher dividend (7.13%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| WEN | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $1.50B | $40.62B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $11.33 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $6.17 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $5.31B | $51.88B |
Dividend Yield | 7.13% | 2.04% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Wendy's (WEN) trades at $7.63, down 1.68% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and recent meme stock momentum. The company shows consistent earnings beats but faces margin pressure, with net income declining from $204M in 2023 to $165M in 2025. Valuation metrics appear attractive with a P/E of 10.2 and P/S of 0.69, while analyst consensus is mixed with a $7.96 price target.
The stock presents a value opportunity with solid dividends and low valuation, but investors face risks from declining profitability, high debt levels, and competitive pressures. Near-term catalysts include Q2 2026 earnings on August 7 and ongoing Project Fresh initiatives, though weak traffic and cost inflation remain headwinds for sustained growth.
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
The Wendy's Company is the second-largest burger quick-service restaurant, or QSR, chain in the United States by systemwide sales, with $11.1 billion in 2021, narrowly edging Burger King ($10.3 billion) and clocking in well behind wide-moat McDonald's ($45.7 billion). After divestitures of Tim Hortons (2006) and Arby's (2011), the firm manages just the burger banner, generating sales across a footprint that spans almost 7,000 total units in 30 countries. Wendy's generates revenue from the sale of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and fries throughout its company-owned footprint, through franchise royalty and marketing fund payments remitted by its franchisees, which account for 94% of stores, and through franchise flipping and advisory fees.
Read more on WEN →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 →