Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $17.62 Million Holdings in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)

Key Points

• Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Yum! Brands by 6.2%, bringing its total holdings to 112,094 shares valued at approximately $17.6 million.
• Several institutional investors have altered their positions in Yum! Brands, with Vanguard Group Inc. boosting its stake by 1.4% to own over 34 million shares worth around $5.37 billion.
• Yum! Brands' shares currently have an average price target of $161.23, with analysts offering a mix of ratings, from "buy" to "equal weight."

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 6.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 112,094 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 6,559 shares during the quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $17,617,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 65,017 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $10,231,000 after buying an additional 2,102 shares during the last quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter worth $4,822,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 37,919 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $5,967,000 after buying an additional 3,321 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,619 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,199,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Linscomb Wealth Inc. lifted its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 24,877 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $3,915,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of YUM stock traded up $1.42 on Friday, hitting $148.19. The company had a trading volume of 2,604,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,118,243. The firm has a market cap of $41.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.73. The stock's 50-day moving average is $145.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.40. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.13 and a twelve month high of $163.30.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The restaurant operator reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($0.02). Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 18.11%. The business had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.35 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,117 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 102,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,084,113.80. This trade represents a 6.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Weir Mirian M. Graddick sold 2,038 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.30, for a total value of $296,121.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $179,154.90. This represents a 62.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,958 shares of company stock valued at $1,455,725 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

YUM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Securities restated a "hold" rating and set a $158.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Yum! Brands from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Yum! Brands from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $167.00 target price (up from $165.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $164.00 target price on Yum! Brands in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Yum! Brands currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $161.23.

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.