Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CMG scored 59.1, YUM scored 71.3 — YUM leads.
Compare another set
CMG
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
Restaurants · Quality-Growth
59.1
$31.59 · $40.0B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
12.2
YUM leads
YUM
Yum! Brands, Inc.
Restaurants · Quality-Growth
71.3
$144.82 · $39.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestYUM18.2x
Fastest growthYUM+10.3%
Highest qualityYUM88 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueYUM-9%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
CMG
stronger →← stronger
YUM
83
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
88
59
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
69
42
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
60
YUM is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CMG
YUM
$1.6bC+
FCF
$1.7bC+
+5.4%C+
Rev
+10.3%B
2.46C
D/E
Negative equity
29.0xC
P/E
18.2xB
1.46B
PEG
1.83C+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
CMG
YUM
51% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
9% below
~16%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~4%/yr
-37%
1-yr DCF upside
+2%
-34%
5-yr DCF upside
+9%
-28%
10-yr DCF upside
+21%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
CMG
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
YUM
Why this score
Raising its dividend
The companies
CMGChipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
Restaurants · $31.59 · beta 0.96
Why now
Restaurants · market cap $40.0b. Down 26% from 52-week high of $42.82 — deep drawdown territory. 31 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $43.76 (implying +39% upside).
Moat
ROE 50% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 111% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
D/E 2.46 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer.
YUMYum! Brands, Inc.
Restaurants · $144.82 · beta 0.55
Why now
Restaurants · market cap $39.5b. 15% off the 52-week high of $170.14. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 22 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $171.06 (implying +18% upside).
Moat
Net margin 25% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where CMG and YUM diverge
On the headline score the gap is 12.2 points in favor of YUM. The widest single difference is Value, where YUM leads by 17.6 points.
ValueCMG 42.5 · YUM 60.1YUM +17.6
GrowthCMG 58.6 · YUM 68.8YUM +10.2
QualityCMG 83.1 · YUM 87.7YUM +4.6
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is YUM or CMG the better stock?
YUM scores higher: YUM 71.3, CMG 59.1 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do YUM and CMG differ most?
The widest gap is value, where YUM leads by 18 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. YUM leads all three pillars, so the gap is broad rather than a single-measure difference.
How are YUM and CMG scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.