Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Given “Hold” Rating at TD Cowen

TD Cowen restated their hold rating on shares of Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) in a report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $145.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on YUM. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $137.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Evercore ISI lowered Yum! Brands from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $145.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Yum! Brands from $155.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $145.94.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Shares of Yum! Brands stock opened at $137.21 on Wednesday. Yum! Brands has a 1-year low of $123.60 and a 1-year high of $143.20. The company has a market capitalization of $38.58 billion, a PE ratio of 25.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50-day moving average of $134.32 and a 200-day moving average of $134.81.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by ($0.04). Yum! Brands had a net margin of 21.13% and a negative return on equity of 18.93%. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.44 EPS. Yum! Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Yum! Brands will post 5.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is currently 50.09%.

Insider Transactions at Yum! Brands

In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,069 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.92, for a total value of $974,956.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 159,132 shares in the company, valued at $21,947,485.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,005 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.43, for a total value of $941,682.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 155,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,955,351.69. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,069 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.92, for a total transaction of $974,956.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 159,132 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,947,485.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 30,622 shares of company stock worth $4,172,740. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Yum! Brands

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in YUM. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Yum! Brands by 165.7% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 186 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 957.1% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 222 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 43.6% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 270 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in Yum! Brands during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Yum! Brands

Yum! Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and franchises quick service restaurants worldwide. The company operates through the KFC Division, the Taco Bell Division, the Pizza Hut Division, and the Habit Burger Grill Division segments. It also operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill brands, which specialize in chicken, pizza, made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches, Mexican-style food categories, and other food products.