Gordon Haskett Upgrades Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) to Hold

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) was upgraded by investment analysts at Gordon Haskett to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Yum! Brands from $157.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. Melius assumed coverage on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $200.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their target price on Yum! Brands from $167.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $166.29.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

YUM opened at $148.84 on Wednesday. Yum! Brands has a 12 month low of $122.13 and a 12 month high of $163.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.25.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 18.11%.The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.37 earnings per share. Yum! Brands’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Yum! Brands

In related news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 1,755 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.81, for a total transaction of $261,161.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Weir Mirian M. Graddick sold 2,038 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.30, for a total value of $296,121.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $179,154.90. This trade represents a 62.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 32,112 shares of company stock worth $4,760,814 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in YUM. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 78.0% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 162 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 679.2% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 187 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.