Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Stock Sold by Markel Group Inc.

Markel Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 42.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 142,059 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 103,154 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $19,368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of YUM. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Yum! Brands by 43,060.0% in the 3rd quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,153 shares in the last quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 2,207 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Next Level Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the third quarter valued at approximately $12,844,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 0.3% in the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 41,982 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,724,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Yum! Brands news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 241 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.89, for a total transaction of $32,990.49. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 482 shares in the company, valued at $65,980.98. This trade represents a 33.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Tracy Skeans sold 3,494 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.00, for a total transaction of $552,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 3 shares in the company, valued at $474. This trade represents a 99.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,288 shares of company stock valued at $666,149. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

YUM stock opened at $156.87 on Wednesday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $134.26 and a one year high of $170.14. The firm has a market cap of $42.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.73, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $146.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.05 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 24.57% and a net margin of 25.42%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.58 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.74%.

More Yum! Brands News

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on YUM shares. Guggenheim cut their price target on Yum! Brands from $180.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Yum! Brands from $176.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Gordon Haskett dropped their target price on 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 Yum! Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 target price (down from $174.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.78.

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.