Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Upgraded at Gordon Haskett

Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on YUM. Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $165.00 price objective on Yum! Brands in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $177.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $162.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $167.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Yum! Brands currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.15.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:YUM opened at $155.59 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $43.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $150.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.00. Yum! Brands has a fifty-two week low of $122.13 and a fifty-two week high of $163.30.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 17.95% and a negative return on equity of 21.79%. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.37 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were paid a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.36%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 24,332 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.10, for a total transaction of $3,627,901.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Erika Burkhardt sold 1,269 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.37, for a total transaction of $189,550.53. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 64 shares in the company, valued at $9,559.68. This trade represents a 95.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 30,695 shares of company stock valued at $4,582,843 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Yum! Brands by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. lifted its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 51.4% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 2,023 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 3,589 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 84.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 235,038 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $35,721,000 after purchasing an additional 107,415 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 119,373 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $17,941,000 after purchasing an additional 2,038 shares during the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Yum! Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on Yum! to $179, signaling conviction in upside vs. the current trading range and providing tangible valuation support. Barclays Increases Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Price Target to $179.00
• Positive Sentiment: Gordon Haskett upgraded YUM from hold to buy, adding buying momentum from the sell-side and reinforcing investor confidence. Gordon Haskett upgrades Yum! Brands (YUM)
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “overweight” rating, which supports demand from investors who follow benchmark research. Sanford Bernstein reaffirms overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Yum!’s multi-year shareholder returns (about a 9.0% CAGR over five years), which can attract long-term investors and supports valuation stability. Yum! Brands shareholders have earned a 9.0% CAGR over the last five years
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive overall (consensus “Moderate Buy”), but it points to mixed analyst views and moderate upside rather than a unanimous bullish case. Yum! Brands Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Several write-ups describe analyst sentiment as “cautiously optimistic” amid leadership changes — this tempers enthusiasm and suggests the stock could see increased volatility while investors wait for clarity. Cautiously Optimistic Analyst Sentiment on Yum! Brands (YUM) Amid Leadership Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: BMO Capital issued a “hold,” which may cap near-term upside from investors who follow that shop. Yum! Brands Gets a Hold from BMO Capital
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer downgraded Yum!, introducing sell-side downside pressure and signaling that some analysts see execution or leadership risks that could weigh on growth expectations. Oppenheimer downgrades Yum! Brands (YUM)

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.