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PSO vs. YUM: Pearson vs. Yum! Brands Stock Comparison

How do Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM) both fall under the Consumer Services industry group, but PSO is classified in Diversified Consumer Services while YUM is classified in Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure.

Yum! Brands (YUM) trades as ordinary local shares, while Pearson (PSO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM)
Profile ItemPSOYUM
NamePearson plc Sponsored ADRYum! Brands, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited KingdomUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer DiscretionaryConsumer Discretionary
GICS Industry GroupConsumer ServicesConsumer Services
GICS IndustryDiversified Consumer ServicesHotels, Restaurants & Leisure
GICS Sub-IndustryEducation ServicesRestaurants
Market Capitalization10.38 billion USD43.35 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateNovember 18, 1996September 17, 1997
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PSO
YUM
GSPC
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM)
MetricPSOYUM
Total Return (1Y)34.42%10.53%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)15.38%11.17%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)17.99%7.10%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PSO
YUM
GSPC
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM)
MetricPSOYUM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)25.07%24.53%
Beta (5Y)0.430.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)-30.73%-23.10%
Avg. Volume (3M)698.84K2.39M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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PSO and YUM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM)
MetricPSOYUM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.200.25
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.670.37

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Pearson (PSO) earns 9.16% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Yum! Brands (YUM) has no ROE this period.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

9.16%

Max
76.75%
Q3
34.07%
Median
15.90%
PSO
9.16%
Q1
3.23%
Min
-40.61%

YUM

Consumer Services industry group

--

Max
76.75%
Q3
34.07%
Median
15.90%
Q1
3.23%
Min
-40.61%
YUM
--
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): YUM does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; PSO is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Yum! Brands (YUM) at 39.14% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Pearson (PSO) at 8.78% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

8.78%

Max
25.52%
Q3
12.95%
PSO
8.78%
Median
6.63%
Q1
1.46%
Min
-14.36%

YUM

Consumer Services industry group

39.14%

YUM
39.14%
Max
25.52%
Q3
12.95%
Median
6.63%
Q1
1.46%
Min
-14.36%
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Yum! Brands (YUM) at 32.08% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Pearson (PSO) at 13.32%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

13.32%

Max
49.05%
Q3
24.35%
Median
14.23%
PSO
13.32%
Q1
5.67%
Min
-16.47%

YUM

Consumer Services industry group

32.08%

Max
49.05%
YUM
32.08%
Q3
24.35%
Median
14.23%
Q1
5.67%
Min
-16.47%
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM)
MetricPSOYUM
ROE (TTM)9.16%--
ROA (TTM)5.09%21.91%
Net Margin (TTM)8.78%39.14%
Operating Margin (TTM)13.32%32.08%
Gross Margin (TTM)52.04%44.70%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Yum! Brands (YUM) at 8.81% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Pearson (PSO) at 0.70% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Pearson (PSO) at -20.16% and Yum! Brands (YUM) at 6.32% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM)
MetricPSOYUM
Revenue Growth (YoY)0.70%8.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-2.35%6.28%
EPS Growth (YoY)-20.16%6.32%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)15.86%6.69%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Yum! Brands (YUM) at 0.96 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Pearson (PSO) at 2.00 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.00

Max
3.41
PSO
2.00
Q3
1.85
Median
1.06
Q1
0.72
Min
0.22

YUM

Consumer Services industry group

0.96

Max
3.41
Q3
1.85
Median
1.06
YUM
0.96
Q1
0.72
Min
0.22
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Pearson (PSO) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52 against its industry range, while Yum! Brands (YUM) reports no figure this period.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

0.52

Max
6.12
Q3
2.93
Median
1.29
PSO
0.52
Q1
0.37
Min
0.01

YUM

Consumer Services industry group

--

Max
6.12
Q3
2.93
Median
1.29
Q1
0.37
Min
0.01
YUM
--
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): YUM does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; PSO is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM)
MetricPSOYUM
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.000.96
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.52--
Net Debt / EBITDA2.353.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Pearson (PSO) at 1.46% and Yum! Brands (YUM) at 0.45% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

1.46%

Max
4.10%
Q3
1.82%
PSO
1.46%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

YUM

Consumer Services industry group

0.45%

Max
4.10%
Q3
1.82%
YUM
0.45%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Yum! Brands (YUM) at 23.83% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Pearson (PSO) at 51.09% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

51.09%

Max
89.80%
PSO
51.09%
Q3
36.83%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

YUM

Consumer Services industry group

23.83%

Max
89.80%
Q3
36.83%
YUM
23.83%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM)
MetricPSOYUM
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.46%0.45%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)51.09%23.83%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Yum! Brands (YUM) at 12.97 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Pearson (PSO) at 25.78 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for YUM, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

25.78

Max
71.70
Q3
37.12
PSO
25.78
Median
21.88
Q1
13.00
Min
5.72

YUM

Consumer Services industry group

12.97

Max
71.70
Q3
37.12
Median
21.88
Q1
13.00
YUM
12.97
Min
5.72
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Pearson (PSO) at 2.86 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Yum! Brands (YUM) at 4.93 sits in the pricier quartile — YUM costs more per dollar of sales.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.86

Max
6.40
Q3
3.01
PSO
2.86
Median
1.54
Q1
0.74
Min
0.08

YUM

Consumer Services industry group

4.93

Max
6.40
YUM
4.93
Q3
3.01
Median
1.54
Q1
0.74
Min
0.08
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Yum! Brands (YUM) reports a negative P/B ratio of -7.03, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Pearson (PSO) reports 2.38, ranking against industry peers normally.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.38

Max
12.02
Q3
5.58
PSO
2.38
Median
2.37
Q1
1.09
Min
-4.51

YUM

Consumer Services industry group

-7.03

Max
12.02
Q3
5.58
Median
2.37
Q1
1.09
Min
-4.51
YUM
-7.03
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Pearson (PSO) vs. Yum! Brands (YUM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Yum! Brands (YUM)
MetricPSOYUM
P/E Ratio (TTM)25.7812.97
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.864.93
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.38-7.03
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)8.08%3.04%