Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 1,088 Shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 19.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,777 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,088 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Bfsg LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Yum! Brands during the third quarter worth about $40,000. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of YUM opened at $141.77 on Friday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $115.53 and a 52 week high of $143.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.36, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $137.98 and a 200-day moving average of $130.85.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The restaurant operator reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.13). Yum! Brands had a net margin of 22.57% and a negative return on equity of 17.76%. The firm had revenue of $2.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.73 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on YUM. Citigroup dropped their target price on Yum! Brands from $166.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Yum! Brands from $133.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Yum! Brands from $146.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $144.75.

Insider Activity at Yum! Brands

In related news, VP David Eric Russell sold 9,919 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.63, for a total value of $1,285,799.97. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,661 shares in the company, valued at $2,419,025.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,078 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total value of $979,382.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 172,128 shares in the company, valued at $23,817,351.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP David Eric Russell sold 9,919 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.63, for a total value of $1,285,799.97. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,419,025.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,064 shares of company stock worth $3,228,698 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

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.