Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Given New $180.00 Price Target at Guggenheim

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its price objective boosted by equities research analysts at Guggenheim from $155.00 to $180.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Guggenheim‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 8.77% from the company’s current price.

YUM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 price target (down from $174.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $162.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Gordon Haskett decreased their target price on Yum! Brands from $182.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $175.67.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Shares of YUM stock traded down $0.83 on Thursday, hitting $165.48. 479,678 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,183,454. The company’s fifty day moving average is $146.49 and its 200 day moving average is $153.51. Yum! Brands has a 1-year low of $134.26 and a 1-year high of $170.14. The company has a market capitalization of $45.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.30, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.53.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The restaurant operator reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.05. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 39.14% and a negative return on equity of 25.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.58 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Yum! Brands will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Christopher Turner sold 285 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.11, for a total transaction of $39,931.35. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 63,225 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,858,454.75. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through 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 stock was sold at an average price of $158.00, for a total value of $552,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 3 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $474. This represents a 99.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,288 shares of company stock worth $666,149. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum! Brands

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Yum! Brands during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the second quarter worth $29,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the first quarter valued at $28,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, MADDEN SECURITIES Corp bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Yum! Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $180 and maintained a Buy rating, citing upside potential. Analysts also pointed to Taco Bell’s recovery progressing faster than expected after the summer food-safety disruption. TD Cowen price target article RBC Taco Bell recovery article
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted Q3 EPS of $1.56 beat analyst expectations. KFC’s international business was a key growth driver, with reported system sales growth of 9%; Yum also reported 3% system sales growth and 7% unit growth excluding Pizza Hut. Q3 results analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain divided. Citi raised its target to $171 but kept a Neutral rating, while Deutsche Bank also lifted its target to $171; BTIG reaffirmed Neutral. Analyst coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Taco Bell’s U.S. same-store sales fell 4% in Q3 following the Cyclospora outbreak, and KFC’s U.S. business also remains weak, with domestic system sales down 6%. Revenue was about $2.05 billion, matching some estimates but below others. Zacks Research downgraded the shares to Strong Sell. Taco Bell sales report KFC U.S. performance report

Yum! Brands Company Profile

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.