Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $169.15.

Several analysts recently weighed in on YUM shares. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $162.00 to $173.00 in a report on Monday, November 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Yum! Brands from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $175.00 to $179.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:YUM opened at $156.91 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $150.71 and its 200 day moving average is $148.07. The company has a market cap of $43.57 billion, a PE ratio of 30.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.67. Yum! Brands has a 1 year low of $122.13 and a 1 year high of $163.30.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 21.79% and a net margin of 17.95%.The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.37 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were issued a $0.71 dividend. 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%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In other news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 1,755 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.81, for a total value of $261,161.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Erika Burkhardt sold 1,269 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.37, for a total value of $189,550.53. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 64 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,559.68. This trade represents a 95.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 30,695 shares of company stock valued at $4,582,843 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum! Brands

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in Yum! Brands by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,277 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $189,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 3.7% during the second quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 1,915 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position 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 valued at $165,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC grew its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 2.3% in the third quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 3,197 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $486,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 1.8% in the third quarter. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,085 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $621,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands Company Profile

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.