Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Shares Purchased by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mirae Asset Global Investments increased its stake in Yum! Brands by 20.8%, buying an additional 14,112 shares to hold 81,886 shares valued at about $12.39 million per the latest SEC filing.
• Company insiders have been net sellers — CEOs Scott Mezvinsky and Christopher Lee Turner sold shares on Feb 26, and insiders sold 14,138 shares worth $2.29 million in the last 90 days; insiders own just 0.14% while institutions/hedge funds own 82.37%.
• Yum! raised its quarterly dividend to $0.75 (annualized $3.00, ~1.8% yield) and reported Q EPS of $1.73 (missed by $0.03) with revenue up 6.4% YoY; analysts give a consensus "Moderate Buy" target of $174.50.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 20.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 81,886 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 14,112 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $12,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 679.2% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 187 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 81.7% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, CNB Bank increased its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 833.3% in the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 224 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 284 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.02, for a total transaction of $47,149.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christopher Lee Turner sold 242 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.02, for a total value of $40,176.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,297 shares in the company, valued at $10,840,607.94. This trade represents a 0.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 14,138 shares of company stock worth $2,289,990 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of YUM opened at $162.66 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average is $160.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.78. The company has a market capitalization of $44.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.66. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $137.33 and a fifty-two week high of $169.39.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 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 business had revenue of $2.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. Yum! Brands's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.94 EPS for the current year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This is a boost from Yum! Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Yum! Brands's payout ratio is 54.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

YUM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $179.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $171.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup increased their price target on Yum! Brands from $171.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Yum! Brands presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.50.

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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