Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Position Reduced by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems reduced its Yum! Brands stake by 12.7%, selling 78,900 shares and retaining 544,278 shares valued at approximately $74.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 82.37% of the company.
• Yum! Brands reported quarterly EPS of $1.62, beating estimates by $0.04, while revenue rose 12.2% year over year to $2.17 billion. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.75 per share, equivalent to a 1.9% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.65; Wells Fargo upgraded the stock to “overweight” and raised its target to $175.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al reduced its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 12.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 544,278 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 78,900 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned about 0.20% of Yum! Brands worth $74,207,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Yum! Brands in the 2nd quarter worth $4,186,811,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 1,373.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,631,940 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $740,462,000 after acquiring an additional 4,317,526 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the second quarter worth about $638,589,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the second quarter worth about $297,591,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the second quarter worth about $279,432,000. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of YUM stock opened at $155.24 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $42.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.04, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.55. The company's 50 day moving average is $146.22 and its 200 day moving average is $153.48. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $134.26 and a 52-week high of $170.14.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.62 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $2.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. Yum! Brands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.74%.

Yum! Brands News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Yum! Brands’ share price recently crossed above its 200-day moving average, a technical signal that may attract momentum-oriented investors and suggest improving market sentiment. Yum! Brands Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average
• Positive Sentiment: A valuation analysis argues that YUM may still trade below its estimated fair value despite a strong multiyear shareholder return, supporting the view that the stock could have additional upside if expected cash-flow growth materializes. Yum! Brands Stock Looks Below Fair Value
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are watching continued KFC expansion and international growth as potential drivers of third-quarter results. These areas could offset weakness in the U.S. and reinforce Yum’s long-term growth strategy. YUM Set to Report Q3 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Yum! Brands is being highlighted alongside other large restaurant dividend stocks, which may support investor interest but does not represent a new company-specific catalyst. Restaurant Dividend Stocks to Watch
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings analysis is focusing on sales, same-store performance, margins and other operating metrics for the quarter ended September 2026. The reports provide context but no actual quarterly results yet. Unlocking Q3 Potential of Yum
• Negative Sentiment: Taco Bell’s U.S. business is facing sales and margin pressure, creating a risk that weaker domestic trends could temper the benefit from KFC and international growth. KFC Growth and Taco Bell Trends in Focus

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Yum! Brands from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on Yum! Brands in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. They set a "buy" rating and a $162.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research raised Yum! Brands from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Yum! Brands currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.65.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum! Brands news, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 3,494 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.00, for a total transaction of $552,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 3 shares in the company, valued at approximately $474. This represents a 99.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.64, for a total value of $41,175.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 482 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,054.48. The trade was a 35.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold 12,778 shares of company stock worth $1,966,393 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Yum! Brands Profile

Yum! Brands, Inc is a global restaurant company that operates, franchises and licenses quick-service and fast-casual restaurants. Its principal brands are KFC, which specializes in fried and other chicken products; Taco Bell, which offers Mexican-inspired food; Pizza Hut, which sells pizzas and related menu items; and The Habit Burger Grill, a fast-casual burger restaurant chain.

The company's business is primarily franchise-based, with restaurants operated by independent franchisees and licensees alongside company-operated locations.

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