DARDEN RESTAURANTS, INC. vs Yum China Holdings, Inc., two Restaurants stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Darden and Yum China both operate at scale with strong equity returns, one in United States casual dining and one across China. Darden, the Olive Garden owner, returns 52.55% on equity, keeps 8.66% of revenue, and pays a 2.62% dividend at 22.64 times earnings. Yum China, running KFC and Pizza Hut, returns 15.49% on equity, keeps 7.83% of sales, pays 2.35%, and trades cheaper at 15.64 times. The cash gap is wide: Darden posts a negative 5.43% free cash flow yield against Yum China's positive 6.44%. Yum China runs debt-free while Darden carries 1.16. Darden runs larger at $24.7B against the $14.5B Yum China, and the cheaper of the two on earnings is the China operator.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | DRI | YUMC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $204.32 | $43.04 |
| Market cap | $23.7B | $15.2B |
| Sector | Restaurants | Restaurants |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +1.7% | -1.8% |
| P/E | 21.7 | 16.5 |
| P/B | 11.25 | 2.49 |
| P/S | 1.85 | 1.26 |
| EV/EBITDA | 12.9 | 8.2 |
| Revenue growth | +8.6% | +6.7% |
| Gross margin | 21.0% | — |
| Operating margin | 12.2% | 13.7% |
| Net margin | 8.7% | 7.8% |
| Return on equity | 52.5% | 15.5% |
| Return on assets | 8.6% | 8.7% |
| Return on invested capital | 27.8% | 15.9% |
| FCF yield | -5.7% | 6.1% |
| Dividend yield | 2.7% | 2.2% |
| Debt / equity | 1.16 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 0.39 | 1.01 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.24 | 3.42 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.