Panagora Asset Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

Key Points

• Panagora Asset Management Inc. significantly reduced its stake in Yum! Brands by 65.4% during the first quarter, now holding 13,966 shares valued at approximately $2.2 million.
• CEO Scott Mezvinsky and Director Weir Mirian M. Graddick have both recently sold shares of Yum! Brands, with Mezvinsky reducing his ownership by 13.42% and Graddick by 62.31%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.71 per share, representing an annualized yield of 2.0%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 2nd.

Panagora Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 65.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,966 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 26,405 shares during the quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $2,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 78.0% during the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 162 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.37% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In related news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 272 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $260,231.40. This trade represents a 13.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Weir Mirian M. Graddick sold 2,038 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.30, for a total transaction of $296,121.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $179,154.90. This trade represents a 62.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,016 shares of company stock valued at $4,271,543. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Yum! Brands stock opened at $145.36 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $40.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.67, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.73. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.13 and a 1 year high of $163.30. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $146.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.15.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The restaurant operator reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.94 EPS for the current year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Yum! Brands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

YUM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $158.00 to $156.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $153.00 to $151.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $164.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $161.23.

Yum! Brands 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.

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