Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Acquires New Shares in Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 94,205 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $12,844,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of YUM. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in Yum! Brands during the second quarter worth $27,000. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the first quarter valued at $30,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In other Yum! Brands news, CEO Christopher Turner sold 285 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.11, for a total transaction of $39,931.35. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 63,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,858,454.75. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 268 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.64, for a total transaction of $41,175.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 482 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $74,054.48. This trade represents a 35.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,288 shares of company stock worth $666,149. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on YUM. Argus lowered shares of Yum! Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Gordon Haskett dropped their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $182.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Yum! Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $177.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Yum! Brands currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.78.

Trending Headlines about Yum! Brands

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

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings were $1.56 per share, above analyst estimates. KFC’s global strength helped offset pressure at Taco Bell, while revenue rose 3.8% year over year to $2.05 billion. Article: YUM Stock Up on Q3 Earnings Beat, Revenues Miss on Taco Bell Weakness
• Positive Sentiment: Management said Taco Bell sales improved after the cyclospora-related disruption, with the brand reportedly outperforming the broader quick-service restaurant industry since late September. That recovery could ease a major near-term concern if it continues. Article: Yum Says Taco Bell Sales Are Improving After Cyclospora Outbreak Fallout
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $180 from $177 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling continued analyst confidence in the shares. Article: TD Cowen stock recommendations
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported net income included a substantial gain related to the Pizza Hut divestiture. This lifts headline profit but is a one-time item, so investors may focus more on ongoing operating performance. Article: Yum! Brands reports third-quarter results and Pizza Hut divestiture gain
• Negative Sentiment: Taco Bell’s U.S. same-store sales fell 4% in Q3 as a cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce hurt traffic. Revenue of $2.05 billion also came in below some analyst estimates, tempering the impact of the EPS beat. Article: Taco Bell sales fall more than expected on cyclosporiasis outbreak hit

Yum! Brands Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE YUM opened at $156.87 on Wednesday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $134.26 and a fifty-two week high of $170.14. The stock has a market cap of $42.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a fifty day moving average of $146.29 and a 200-day moving average of $153.48.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The restaurant operator reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 24.57% and a net margin of 25.42%. The business’s revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.58 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

Yum! Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 37.74%.

About Yum! Brands

Yum! Brands, Inc is a global restaurant company that operates, franchises and licenses quick-service and fast-casual restaurants. Its principal brands are KFC, which specializes in fried and other chicken products; Taco Bell, which offers Mexican-inspired food; Pizza Hut, which sells pizzas and related menu items; and The Habit Burger Grill, a fast-casual burger restaurant chain.

The company’s business is primarily franchise-based, with restaurants operated by independent franchisees and licensees alongside company-operated locations.