What metrics matter most when comparing YUM and SBUX?

For Yum Brands, watch system-wide sales growth across its franchised brand portfolio and franchise royalty income stability. For Starbucks, focus on same-store sales trends reflecting turnaround execution and China market performance.

Why does the franchised versus company-operated distinction matter for comparing Yum Brands and Starbucks?

A predominantly franchised model like Yum Brands' generates more predictable, capital-light royalty income and shifts labor and input cost inflation risk onto franchisees, while a more company-operated model like much of Starbucks' store base gives the company more direct control over execution and customer experience but also more direct exposure to cost inflation and the operational challenges of a turnaround effort, making the two companies' earnings sensitivity to different economic factors meaningfully different.

How is the AI score calculated?

The AI score is a composite signal incorporating fundamental quality, valuation, momentum, analyst sentiment, and risk factors. A higher score indicates a more favorable overall setup relative to the market at the time of the latest update.

Data as of: August 23, 2026

brimindinvest.com / compare / yum-vs-sbuxLIVE

YUM

Yum! Brands, Inc. · Consumer Discretionary

N/A

N/A this month

VERSUS

COMPARE

SBUX

Starbucks Corporation · Consumer Discretionary

N/A

N/A this month

Comparison scoreboard

MIXED SETUP

AI Scorei

YUM N/A

SBUX N/A

1Y Returni

YUM N/A

SBUX N/A

Fwd P/Ei

YUM N/A

SBUX N/A

Target Up.i

YUM N/A

SBUX N/A

Op. Margini

YUM N/A

SBUX N/A

Quick take

YUM vs SBUX Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside

Q: How does Yum Brands' franchise model differ from Starbucks' operating approach?

Yum Brands operates a predominantly franchised business model, collecting relatively stable royalty income from franchisees who bear most of the capital investment and operating risk at the store level, while Starbucks operates a mix of company-operated and licensed stores, giving it more direct control over the customer experience and same-store sales execution but also more direct exposure to labor and input cost inflation than Yum's franchise-heavy model.

ShareX LinkedIn Reddit Facebook WhatsApp

Yum Brands and Starbucks both operate global restaurant and retail brands, but Yum Brands runs a predominantly franchised, capital-light quick service restaurant model across multiple concepts, while Starbucks operates a mix of company-operated and licensed coffeehouse stores under a single global brand.

Yum Brands offers exposure to stable, capital-light franchise royalty income across a diversified quick service brand portfolio, while Starbucks offers exposure to a globally recognized single brand navigating a turnaround. Consider whether you prefer Yum's franchise model stability or Starbucks' brand strength and turnaround upside.

Want a full valuation workup? 46-section report — AI Score, Monte Carlo forecast, bull/bear case, DCF, and more.

YUM Report SBUX Report

Normalized 1Y performance

YUM

SBUX

Not enough data to chart yet.

Recent returns

YUM

SBUX

Not enough data to chart yet.

Analyst price targets & sentiment

Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.

YUM

Price target data unavailable

N/A

SBUX

Price target data unavailable

N/A

Who should consider this stock?

YUM may suit investors who:

Want exposure to stable, capital-light franchise royalty income
Believe a diversified quick service brand portfolio reduces single-concept risk
Value an extensive international franchise network supporting unit growth
Are comfortable with franchisee financial health affecting royalty income stability

SBUX may suit investors who:

Want exposure to a globally recognized coffee brand undergoing a turnaround effort
Believe operational efficiency initiatives can restore same-store sales momentum
Value a substantial digital ordering and loyalty program customer base
Are comfortable with near-term margin pressure during turnaround investment

Performance & AI score

Performance & AI score
Metric	YUM	SBUX
AI scorei	N/A	N/A
AI ranki	N/A	N/A
Latest closei	N/A	N/A

Valuation & upside potential

Valuation & upside potential
Metric	YUM	SBUX
Market capi	N/A	N/A
Trailing P/Ei	N/A	N/A
Forward P/Ei	N/A	N/A
Price/Salesi	N/A	N/A
EV/Revenuei	N/A	N/A
Analyst targeti	N/A	N/A
Target upsidei	N/A	N/A

Full DCF model for YUM Full DCF model for SBUX

Growth, profitability & risk

Growth, profitability & risk
Metric	YUM	SBUX
Revenue growthi	N/A	N/A
Earnings growthi	N/A	N/A
EPS growthi	N/A	N/A
FCF margini	N/A	N/A
Operating margini	N/A	N/A
Profit margini	N/A	N/A
ROIC proxyi	N/A	N/A
Return on equityi	N/A	N/A
Dividend yieldi	N/A	N/A
Payout ratioi	N/A	N/A
Dividend growth streaki	N/A	N/A
Betai	N/A	N/A
Debt/equityi	N/A	N/A
Current ratioi	N/A	N/A
Quick ratioi	N/A	N/A

Drawdown & downside risk

Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.

1Y risk snapshot

YUM max drawdowniN/A

SBUX max drawdowniN/A

YUM max wkly dropiN/A

SBUX max wkly dropiN/A

5Y risk snapshot

YUM max drawdowniN/A

SBUX max drawdowniN/A

YUM max wkly dropiN/A

SBUX max wkly dropiN/A

10Y risk snapshot

YUM max drawdowniN/A

SBUX max drawdowniN/A

YUM max wkly dropiN/A

SBUX max wkly dropiN/A

Performance metrics by period

Performance metrics by period
Period	Metric	YUM	SBUX
1Y	Growthi	N/A	N/A
	CAGRi	N/A	N/A
	Volatilityi	N/A	N/A
	Sharpe ratioi	N/A	N/A
	Sortino ratioi	N/A	N/A
	Max drawdowni	N/A	N/A
	Current drawdowni	N/A	N/A
	Avg drawdowni	N/A	N/A
	Ulcer Indexi	N/A	N/A
	Max daily dropi	N/A	N/A
	Max wkly dropi	N/A	N/A
5Y	Growthi	N/A	N/A
	CAGRi	N/A	N/A
	Volatilityi	N/A	N/A
	Sharpe ratioi	N/A	N/A
	Sortino ratioi	N/A	N/A
	Max drawdowni	N/A	N/A
	Current drawdowni	N/A	N/A
	Avg drawdowni	N/A	N/A
	Ulcer Indexi	N/A	N/A
	Max daily dropi	N/A	N/A
	Max wkly dropi	N/A	N/A
10Y	Growthi	N/A	N/A
	CAGRi	N/A	N/A
	Volatilityi	N/A	N/A
	Sharpe ratioi	N/A	N/A
	Sortino ratioi	N/A	N/A
	Max drawdowni	N/A	N/A
	Current drawdowni	N/A	N/A
	Avg drawdowni	N/A	N/A
	Ulcer Indexi	N/A	N/A
	Max daily dropi	N/A	N/A
	Max wkly dropi	N/A	N/A

AI Prediction Signali

Members only

Next 5 trading days

YUM

+2.8%BUY

SBUX

+1.1%HOLD

Next 30 trading days

YUM

+6.4%BUY

SBUX

+3.2%HOLD

Start Free Trial Log in

ML model trained on historical prices · 14-day free trial · No credit card required

Business comparison

Business comparison
Category	YUM	SBUX
Company	Yum! Brands, Inc.	Starbucks Corporation
Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
Industry	N/A	N/A
Core business	A global quick service restaurant franchisor operating a portfolio of well-known fast food brands through a predominantly franchised business model across international markets.	A global coffeehouse chain operating and licensing a large network of retail coffee stores worldwide, alongside a consumer packaged goods and licensed store business.
Investor focus	System-wide sales growth across its franchised brand portfolio, franchise royalty income stability, and international unit growth pace.	Same-store sales trends reflecting turnaround execution, China market performance, and progress on operational efficiency initiatives within its store base.

YUM strengths

Predominantly franchised business model generates stable, capital-light royalty income relative to company-operated restaurant models
Diversified portfolio of well-known quick service brands reduces reliance on any single concept
Extensive international franchise network provides broad geographic diversification and unit growth opportunity

SBUX strengths

Globally recognized brand supports significant customer loyalty and premium pricing power
Extensive global store network and licensing model provides broad geographic diversification
Digital ordering and loyalty program platform provides a substantial base of engaged, repeat customers

Risks to watch — YUM

Franchisee financial health directly affects royalty income stability across its franchise network
International markets carry currency translation and geopolitical risk exposure
Faces intense competition from other global quick service restaurant franchisors

Risks to watch — SBUX

Same-store sales have faced pressure requiring ongoing turnaround execution across its store base
China market performance faces competition from local coffee chains and shifting consumer spending patterns
Labor and input cost inflation can pressure margins during turnaround investment periods

Frequently asked questions

Yum Brands offers exposure to stable, capital-light franchise royalty income across a diversified quick service brand portfolio, while Starbucks offers exposure to a globally recognized single brand navigating a turnaround. The better fit depends on whether you prefer Yum's franchise model stability or Starbucks' brand strength and turnaround upside.

Interactive comparison engine

Compare more than two at a time

This page is a fixed writeup on YUM and SBUX. Our comparison engine is the interactive version: load up to five tickers, switch timeframes, and get the correlation, drawdown, and overlap analysis that a static page can't show.

Up to 5 tickers at once

Add three more names beside YUM and SBUX, mixing stocks and ETFs in the same table — useful when the real question is which of a whole peer group to own.

Scoreboard verdict

AI score, forward P/E, analyst target upside, operating margin, and revenue growth are scored head-to-head, with a running tally of which ticker leads on how many metrics.

Full risk suite

Volatility, Sharpe and Sortino ratios, maximum, current, and average drawdown, Ulcer Index, and worst single-day and single-week drops across every timeframe.

Correlation heatmap

Pairwise daily-return correlation for every combination, so you can see whether two holdings actually diversify each other or just move together.

Valuation vs profitability

A scatter plot of forward P/E against return on equity, plus drawdown and 30-day rolling volatility charts, to separate what is cheap from what is merely beaten down.

Holdings overlap and CSV export

For ETFs, a top-holdings comparison that exposes hidden overlap between funds. Every comparison exports to CSV for your own spreadsheet work.

Open YUM vs SBUX in the engine See what's included

Two comparisons a week are free without an account. A 14-day trial removes the limit and adds AI price forecasts, stock rankings, saved watchlists, and the intrinsic value calculator — no credit card required.

Free public comparison

Want deeper AI forecasts?

This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.

Start Free Trial Read Investing Guides

In-Depth Reports

Full valuation workup with AI Score, Monte Carlo forecast, and bull/bear case — free preview, premium data from $3.99.

YUM Report SBUX Report

Related comparisons