Wendys Co vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? Wendys Co trades at $6.24 (market cap $1.19B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $144.69 (market cap $39.02B). The key difference: Yum! Brands, Inc. is far larger — about 32.8× Wendys Co's market cap, and Wendys Co pays the higher dividend (4.49%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Wendys Co for 77 Days and Yum! Brands, Inc. for 132 Days on average.
| WEN | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $1.19B | $39.02B |
Volume | 5,622,905 | 2,597,636 |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $9.33 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $6.10 | $135.77 |
Typical Hold Time | 77 Days | 132 Days |
Enterprise Value | $4.92B | $50.63B |
Dividend Yield | 4.49% | 2.1% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Wendy's (WEN) trades at $6.16, down 71% over five years, with a bearish technical signal and recent price near multi-year lows. The company faces declining same-store sales, a major franchisee bankruptcy (Meritage Hospitality, September 2026), and net income margin compression from 7.58% in 2025 to 5.72% in 2026. Valuation appears low with a P/E of 9.45 and P/S of 0.54, but high debt and operational challenges weigh on sentiment. Recent earnings beats provide some positive momentum, but competitive pressures persist.
The outlook remains cautious due to franchisee instability and sales declines. Investment opportunity lies in potential turnaround under new CEO Bob Wright and cheap valuation, but risks include further store closures, debt burden, and intense burger chain competition. Analyst consensus is mixed with a $7.58 price target, but 65% hold ratings reflect uncertainty.
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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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 →