Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Has $1.80 Million Stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

Key Points

• Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI boosted its Yum! Brands stake by 540.1% in the fourth quarter, holding 11,900 shares valued at about $1.8 million.
• Yum! Brands posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.50 beating estimates and revenue of $2.06 billion topping forecasts, while revenue rose 15.2% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.75 per share and analysts remain broadly constructive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $176.22.

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its holdings in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 540.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,900 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 10,041 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $1,800,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 35,242,558 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $5,356,869,000 after purchasing an additional 684,946 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 16,179,636 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $2,459,940,000 after purchasing an additional 487,069 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,348,846 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $509,025,000 after purchasing an additional 176,221 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,943,187 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $447,364,000 after purchasing an additional 153,459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 2,735,106 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $415,736,000 after purchasing an additional 104,336 shares during the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on Yum! Brands from $174.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $190.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Friday, February 13th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Yum! Brands from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays set a $185.00 price target on Yum! Brands and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Yum! Brands has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $176.22.

Insider Transactions at Yum! Brands

In other news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 284 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.02, for a total transaction of $47,149.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 1,837 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.00, for a total value of $279,224.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 3,497 shares in the company, valued at $531,544. This represents a 34.44% decrease in their position. 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,890 shares of company stock valued at $451,123. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Yum! Brands stock opened at $150.25 on Friday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $137.33 and a 52 week high of $169.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $157.70 and a 200-day moving average of $155.00.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.11. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 23.51% and a net margin of 20.48%.The company had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. Yum! Brands's revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Yum! Brands's payout ratio is 48.39%.

Key Stories Impacting Yum! Brands

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple earnings estimates for Yum! Brands, including FY2026, FY2027, and FY2028, signaling improved profit expectations and a potentially stronger forward outlook for the restaurant operator.
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.75 per share, reinforcing its capital-return profile and offering income support for shareholders.
• Positive Sentiment: Yum! Brands’ India franchisee reported stronger operating trends, including a narrower loss and higher profit in FY24, which may suggest solid underlying demand for KFC and related brands in key international markets. Article: Yum Brands' India franchisee posts narrower loss on KFC sales upswing
• Neutral Sentiment: RestaurantBusiness Online highlighted leadership lessons and brand-building at Yum! Brands, but the piece appears more informational than market-moving. Article: Operator Spotlight – Building Brands Over Time: Leadership Lessons from Yum! Brands
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch noted that Yum! Brands stock underperformed peers, which suggests some near-term relative weakness but does not by itself indicate a major fundamental shift. Article: Yum! Brands Inc. stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors
• Negative Sentiment: COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 1,837 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, a disclosure that can create a modest headwind for sentiment even though it was not a discretionary sale.
• Negative Sentiment: The pizza restaurant sector has been facing cost and demand pressure, highlighted by another chain’s Chapter 11 filing; while not specific to Yum!, it underscores broader industry caution for restaurant investors.

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.

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