EP Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New $2.37 Million Investment in Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 14,820 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $2,369,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of YUM. Steph & Co. raised its stake in Yum! Brands by 107.5% during the first quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 166 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Yum! Brands during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Yum! Brands during the second quarter valued at $29,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum! Brands news, VP David Eric Russell sold 7,961 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.15, for a total transaction of $1,219,227.15. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 11,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,831,674. This represents a 39.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 268 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.15, for a total transaction of $41,044.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 483 shares in the company, valued at $73,971.45. This trade represents a 35.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 18,549 shares of company stock worth $2,890,168 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on YUM shares. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $174.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Yum! Brands from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $174.65.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:YUM opened at $153.31 on Friday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $137.33 and a 52-week high of $170.14. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $153.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $155.98. The firm has a market cap of $41.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.55.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.04. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 24.57% and a net margin of 25.42%.The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, June 16th that allows the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the restaurant operator to buy up to 9.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Yum! Brands News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Yum! Brands outlined a renewed consumer-growth strategy centered on strengthening brand engagement, digital capabilities, loyalty programs and operational execution across KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. The emphasis on personalized customer experiences and technology could support sales and franchisee performance. Yum! Brands Reveals New Path for Consumer Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The company appointed former HanesBrands CEO Steve Bratspies to its board, effective August 26. His experience managing global consumer brands and improving operations may add expertise as Yum! pursues growth and evaluates its portfolio. Yum! Brands Appoints Steve Bratspies to Board
• Neutral Sentiment: Pizza Hut is using a football-themed branding promotion ahead of the NFL season. The marketing effort could increase near-term visibility, but it comes as Yum! advances the multibillion-dollar sale of the chain, making the strategic implications more important than the promotion itself. Pizza Hut Branding Change
• Negative Sentiment: Shares faced pressure after Yum! announced a new chief executive officer. Although a leadership change could bring fresh momentum, investors may be concerned about execution risk and the direction of the company during the transition. Yum! Brands Slides on Naming New CEO
• Negative Sentiment: An insider reportedly reduced a Yum! Brands equity stake by 28%, while executive share withholding related to restricted-stock-unit vesting was also disclosed. These transactions are not necessarily signals of deteriorating fundamentals, but they can weigh on sentiment. Yum! Brands Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP said it is investigating potential claims on behalf of Yum! investors. The announcement does not establish wrongdoing, but it adds legal and reputational uncertainty to the stock. Pomerantz Investor Investigation

Yum! Brands 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding YUM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source