YUM
Yum! Brands Inc. Consumer Discretionary - Restaurants Investor Relations →
Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM) closed at $162.93 as of 2026-02-02, trading 25.7% above its 200-week moving average of $129.63. The stock moved further from the line this week, up from 20.2% last week. With a 14-week RSI of 70, YUM is in overbought territory.
Over the past 1433 weeks of data, YUM has crossed below its 200-week moving average 14 times. On average, these episodes lasted 8 weeks. Historically, investors who bought YUM at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +18.0%.
With a market cap of $45.2 billion, YUM is a large-cap stock. The company generates a free cash flow yield of 3.2%. The stock trades at -6.2x book value.
Over the past 27.6 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in YUM would have grown to $3601, compared to $1162 for the S&P 500. That represents an annualized return of 13.9% vs 9.3% for the index — confirming YUM as a market-beating investment and the kind of quality company where buying during 200-week moving average touches has historically been rewarded.
Free cash flow has been volatile over the past several years, making the quality of earnings harder to assess.
Growth of $100: YUM vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After YUM Crosses Below the Line?
Across 14 historical episodes, buying YUM when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +18.6% after 12 months (median +22.0%), compared to +14.6% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 71% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +55.8% vs +22.9% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment YUM crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
YUM has crossed below its 200-week MA 14 times with an average 1-year return of +18.0% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1999 | Aug 1999 | 3 | 8.5% | -41.6% | +3202.5% |
| Aug 1999 | Sep 1999 | 3 | 0.8% | -28.1% | +3132.9% |
| Oct 1999 | Nov 1999 | 4 | 6.1% | -29.3% | +3345.4% |
| Nov 1999 | Feb 2001 | 66 | 39.3% | -11.5% | +3243.6% |
| Mar 2001 | Apr 2001 | 5 | 6.6% | +62.7% | +3636.6% |
| Sep 2001 | Sep 2001 | 1 | 0.7% | +45.8% | +3385.6% |
| Nov 2002 | Nov 2002 | 1 | 0.8% | +54.9% | +2933.2% |
| Oct 2008 | Dec 2008 | 10 | 16.2% | +30.1% | +1054.6% |
| Jan 2009 | Feb 2009 | 1 | 1.4% | +22.4% | +997.9% |
| Feb 2009 | Mar 2009 | 6 | 15.9% | +23.0% | +1017.0% |
| Oct 2015 | Oct 2015 | 1 | 0.1% | +27.9% | +291.4% |
| Nov 2015 | Nov 2015 | 1 | 1.2% | +24.4% | +293.2% |
| Jan 2016 | Feb 2016 | 6 | 5.3% | +34.6% | +300.9% |
| Mar 2020 | Apr 2020 | 5 | 28.6% | +36.2% | +131.3% |
| Average | 8 | — | +18.0% | — |
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of Friday close, 2026-02-02