Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Shares Sold by Magellan Asset Management Ltd

Magellan Asset Management Ltd decreased its position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 31.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,370,088 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 618,030 shares during the period. Yum! Brands comprises 2.8% of Magellan Asset Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Magellan Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $213,021,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Steph & Co. boosted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 107.5% in the 1st quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 166 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

YUM opened at $147.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $40.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $154.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $156.82. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 1-year low of $137.33 and a 1-year high of $170.14.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 23.51% and a net margin of 20.48%.Yum! Brands’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. Research analysts expect that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 16th that allows the company to buyback $4.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the restaurant operator to purchase up to 9.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th were given a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.39%.

Yum! Brands News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Yum! Brands announced Nai De Leon will become Chief People & Culture Officer effective November 1, 2026, a move that adds a new senior leader and may support long-term organizational execution. Yum! Brands Appoints Nai De Leon as Chief People & Culture Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Yum! Brands said a positive cyclospora test on Taylor Farms lettuce was a false positive, which could ease some concerns if confirmed and help reduce the risk of further reputational damage. Market Chatter: Yum! Brands Says Positive Cyclospora Test on Taylor Farms Lettuce was False Positive
• Neutral Sentiment: ThaiBev is exploring a sale of its KFC franchise business in Thailand, but the report does not suggest an immediate change to Yum! Brands’ operations or financial outlook. ThaiBev Weighs Sale of Thailand’s Largest KFC Franchise With 500+ Restaurants
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg and other reports said Taco Bell traffic fell sharply after lettuce was tied to a parasite outbreak, raising concern that the issue could hurt same-store sales and damage Yum! Brands’ near-term performance. Taco Bell Traffic Sinks After Lettuce Tied to Parasite Outbreak
• Negative Sentiment: Another report said Taco Bell visits dropped 19% after the lettuce-linked outbreak, reinforcing fears that the health scare is already weighing on restaurant demand. Taco Bell visits drop 19% after lettuce parasite outbreak
• Negative Sentiment: Technical commentary warned that Yum! Brands may be nearing a bearish “death cross,” which can add to selling pressure when sentiment is already weak. QUICK SPARK: Yum! Brands May Soon Serve Traders a Death Cross

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In related news, CEO Sean Tresvant sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.68, for a total value of $464,040.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $485,695.20. This represents a 48.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher Lee Turner sold 270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.14, for a total transaction of $39,997.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 64,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,522,735.48. This trade represents a 0.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,423 shares of company stock worth $1,953,721. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on YUM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $177.00 price objective on Yum! Brands in a report on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Thursday, June 18th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $168.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $175.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.81.

About Yum! Brands

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.