Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Shares Sold by Meeder Asset Management Inc.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 8.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 79,004 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 7,256 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $12,009,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,861 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,055,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares in the last quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter worth $291,000. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 23.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 29,997 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,720,000 after buying an additional 5,713 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 7.3% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,048 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $165,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Yum! Brands during the first quarter worth about $201,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:YUM opened at $155.59 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.33, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.67. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.13 and a 12-month high of $163.30. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $150.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.00.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 17.95% and a negative return on equity of 21.79%. The company had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.37 earnings per share. Yum! Brands’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 2nd. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 55.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on YUM. Stifel Nicolaus set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, November 17th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Yum! Brands from $175.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.15.

Key Stories Impacting Yum! Brands

Here are the key news stories impacting Yum! Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on Yum! to $179, signaling conviction in upside vs. the current trading range and providing tangible valuation support. Barclays Increases Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Price Target to $179.00
• Positive Sentiment: Gordon Haskett upgraded YUM from hold to buy, adding buying momentum from the sell-side and reinforcing investor confidence. Gordon Haskett upgrades Yum! Brands (YUM)
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “overweight” rating, which supports demand from investors who follow benchmark research. Sanford Bernstein reaffirms overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Yum!’s multi-year shareholder returns (about a 9.0% CAGR over five years), which can attract long-term investors and supports valuation stability. Yum! Brands shareholders have earned a 9.0% CAGR over the last five years
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive overall (consensus “Moderate Buy”), but it points to mixed analyst views and moderate upside rather than a unanimous bullish case. Yum! Brands Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Several write-ups describe analyst sentiment as “cautiously optimistic” amid leadership changes — this tempers enthusiasm and suggests the stock could see increased volatility while investors wait for clarity. Cautiously Optimistic Analyst Sentiment on Yum! Brands (YUM) Amid Leadership Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: BMO Capital issued a “hold,” which may cap near-term upside from investors who follow that shop. Yum! Brands Gets a Hold from BMO Capital
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer downgraded Yum!, introducing sell-side downside pressure and signaling that some analysts see execution or leadership risks that could weigh on growth expectations. Oppenheimer downgrades Yum! Brands (YUM)

Insider Transactions at Yum! Brands

In other news, insider Erika Burkhardt sold 1,269 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.37, for a total value of $189,550.53. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 64 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,559.68. The trade was a 95.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 24,332 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.10, for a total value of $3,627,901.20. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,695 shares of company stock valued at $4,582,843. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

About Yum! Brands

Yum! Brands, Inc (NYSE: YUM) is a global quick-service restaurant company that develops, operates and franchises a portfolio of well-known restaurant brands. The company’s principal brands are KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, each focused on distinct product categories—KFC on fried chicken and related menu items, Pizza Hut on pizza and complementary offerings, and Taco Bell on Mexican-inspired quick-service food. Yum! is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky and was formed as Tricon Global Restaurants in 1997 when PepsiCo spun off its restaurant businesses, later adopting the Yum! Brands name.

The company’s operating model centers on brand development, system growth and franchising; a large portion of its restaurants are operated by independent franchisees, and Yum! generates revenue through franchise royalties and fees in addition to sales from company-operated locations.