Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Shares Bought by M&T Bank Corp

Key Points

• M&T Bank increased its stake in Yum! Brands by 250.2% in Q4, acquiring an additional 189,573 shares to hold 265,338 shares (about 0.10% of the company) valued at roughly $40.14 million.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view—12 Buy vs. 9 Hold ratings—with a consensus price target of $174.50 and notable targets including Barclays $185 (overweight) and UBS $180 (buy).
• Yum! missed the most recent quarter's EPS by $0.03 at $1.73 while revenue rose 6.4% year-over-year to $2.52 billion, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.75 (a $3.00 annualized payout, ~1.9% yield).

M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 250.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 265,338 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 189,573 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp owned 0.10% of Yum! Brands worth $40,140,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in YUM. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,861 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,055,000 after acquiring an additional 583 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 124.5% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 151,316 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $22,422,000 after acquiring an additional 83,916 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 117,824 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $17,447,000 after acquiring an additional 10,755 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 130,205 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $19,294,000 after acquiring an additional 1,256 shares during the period. Finally, HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 59.1% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,319 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $344,000 after purchasing an additional 861 shares in the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on YUM shares. Barclays set a $185.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $171.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Yum! Brands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.50.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

YUM stock opened at $159.22 on Thursday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $137.33 and a 52-week high of $169.39. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $160.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.66.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.03). Yum! Brands had a net margin of 18.98% and a negative return on equity of 22.42%. The firm had revenue of $2.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Yum! Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Yum! Brands's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.05%.

More Yum! Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated its rating and highlighted that Taco Bell and KFC retain solid momentum, calling Yum well positioned for continued growth — a supportive view ahead of earnings that can underpin confidence in top-line recovery and international expansion. Yum! Brands Backed by Taco Bell, KFC Momentum, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Pizza Hut relaunched "Hut Rewards" as a paid-style membership to deepen loyalty and drive frequency; if adoption lifts average unit volumes and retention, it supports long-term margins and comp growth. PIZZA HUT INTRODUCES NEW HUT REWARDS...
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a bullish style/metrics piece highlighting Yum as a growth stock based on its mix of brand strength and digital initiatives — a narrative that can attract growth-oriented investors. Here's Why Yum Brands (YUM) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC Capital reiterated a Hold / Sector Perform on Yum, signaling caution on near-term upside despite the company’s durable brands — a neutral-to-cautious analyst stance that can limit short-term rallies. Yum! Brands (YUM) Receives a Hold from RBC Capital
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent valuation/write-ups note a consolidation after gains and show YUM trading at a premium vs. some peers; this keeps upside tied to execution rather than valuation multiple expansion. A Look At Yum Brands (YUM) Valuation After Recent Share Price Consolidation
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent transcripts and company commentary (Q2 2025 call) provide operational color but no new guidance; useful for modelling but unlikely to move the stock absent fresh metrics. Yum (YUM) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple earnings previews (Yahoo/Zacks) say Yum is likely to see EPS growth but lacks the two key ingredients typically needed for an earnings beat, flagging upside risk and raising the chance of disappointment at the upcoming report — a principal reason for downward pressure. Yum Brands (YUM) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In other Yum! Brands news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 1,612 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.63, for a total value of $265,383.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christopher Lee Turner sold 242 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.02, for a total transaction of $40,176.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,840,607.94. This represents a 0.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,138 shares of company stock worth $2,289,990. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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