Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Given New $165.00 Price Target at Evercore ISI

Key Points

• Evercore ISI has lowered its price target for Yum! Brands from $170 to $165, indicating a potential upside of 17.34% from the current price.
• While 13 analysts rate Yum! Brands as a hold, 10 have given it a buy rating, with an average price target of $161.64.
• Yum! Brands recently posted quarterly earnings of $1.44 per share, missing estimates by $0.02, despite a year-over-year revenue increase of 9.6%.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by equities research analysts at Evercore ISI from $170.00 to $165.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "in-line" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Evercore ISI's target price indicates a potential upside of 16.74% from the company's previous close.

YUM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $167.00 price target (up previously from $165.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Melius began coverage on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $151.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Yum! Brands presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $161.23.

Yum! Brands Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of YUM traded down $1.22 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $141.34. 2,263,240 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,065,120. The firm has a market cap of $39.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $146.84. Yum! Brands has a 12-month low of $122.13 and a 12-month high of $163.30.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The restaurant operator reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.94 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 18.11% and a negative return on equity of 21.01%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In related news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.28, for a total value of $40,332.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at $260,231.40. This represents a 13.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,117 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.60, for a total transaction of $1,043,352.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 102,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,084,113.80. The trade was a 6.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,983 shares of company stock valued at $2,187,764. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 5.6% in the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,277 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 3.7% in the second quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 1,915 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 6,605 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $886,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 78.0% in the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 162 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 7.3% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,048 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% 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.