Scott Mezvinsky Sells 284 Shares of Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Stock

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 284 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.02, for a total value of $47,149.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Scott Mezvinsky also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, February 13th, Scott Mezvinsky sold 1,612 shares of Yum! Brands stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.63, for a total transaction of $265,383.56.
• On Monday, December 1st, Scott Mezvinsky sold 276 shares of Yum! Brands stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.17, for a total transaction of $42,274.92.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

YUM stock opened at $168.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.66. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $137.33 and a 52-week high of $169.39. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.02.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.03). Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 22.42% and a net margin of 18.98%.The firm had revenue of $2.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 20th. This is a positive change from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is presently 54.05%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake 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. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Yum! Brands in the third quarter worth $28,000. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in Yum! Brands during the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Yum! Brands by 81.7% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on YUM shares. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Friday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $160.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Yum! Brands has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.50.

Yum! Brands Company Profile

Yum! Brands, Inc (NYSE: YUM) is a global quick-service restaurant company that develops, operates and franchises a portfolio of well-known restaurant brands. The company’s principal brands are KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, each focused on distinct product categories—KFC on fried chicken and related menu items, Pizza Hut on pizza and complementary offerings, and Taco Bell on Mexican-inspired quick-service food. Yum! is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky and was formed as Tricon Global Restaurants in 1997 when PepsiCo spun off its restaurant businesses, later adopting the Yum! Brands name.

The company’s operating model centers on brand development, system growth and franchising; a large portion of its restaurants are operated by independent franchisees, and Yum! generates revenue through franchise royalties and fees in addition to sales from company-operated locations.