Brokerages Set Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) Target Price at $145.94

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $145.94.

Several research firms have weighed in on YUM. Loop Capital cut their price target on Yum! Brands from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $137.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of Yum! Brands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,005 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.43, for a total transaction of $941,682.15. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 152,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,518,588.62. This represents a 4.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 21,069 shares of company stock valued at $2,842,965. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUM. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. boosted its position in Yum! Brands by 957.1% during the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 222 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 43.6% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 270 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 3,088.9% during the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 287 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

YUM stock opened at $137.63 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $135.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.43. Yum! Brands has a one year low of $123.70 and a one year high of $143.20. The company has a market capitalization of $38.41 billion, a PE ratio of 25.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.10.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.90 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 18.93% and a net margin of 21.13%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Yum! Brands will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.09%.

Yum! Brands Company Profile

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.