Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Shares Sold by TD Asset Management Inc

Key Points

• TD Asset Management reduced its Yum! Brands stake by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 84,702 shares and leaving it with 1,640,997 shares valued at about $248.3 million.
• Insider selling has continued, with CEO Sean Tresvant and CEO Scott Mezvinsky both selling shares recently; insiders sold 5,895 shares worth about $906,499 over the last 90 days.
• Yum! posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.50 versus estimates of $1.39 and revenue of $2.06 billion, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy rating with an average target price of $176.17.

TD Asset Management Inc trimmed its position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,640,997 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 84,702 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc owned approximately 0.59% of Yum! Brands worth $248,250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Yum! Brands by 81.7% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Yum! Brands

In other news, CEO Sean Tresvant sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.68, for a total value of $464,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,140 shares of the company's stock, valued at $485,695.20. This represents a 48.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 261 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.14, for a total transaction of $38,664.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 483 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,551.62. This trade represents a 35.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 5,895 shares of company stock valued at $906,499 over the last ninety days. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Yum! Brands

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Yum! may explore a sale of Pizza Hut are fueling a sum-of-the-parts argument, which could unlock value by letting management focus more on stronger brands like Taco Bell and KFC and potentially reduce debt.
• Positive Sentiment: KFC launched a Supergirl-themed summer promotion with new meals, sauces, and collectibles, signaling ongoing efforts to drive traffic and keep the brand culturally relevant.
• Positive Sentiment: One analyst-backed note argued Yum! still has strong growth potential versus other franchised restaurant companies, suggesting the stock may be undervaluing its long-term brand portfolio.

Yum! Brands Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of Yum! Brands stock opened at $148.42 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $155.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.64. The company has a market cap of $40.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.57. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $137.33 and a 1 year high of $169.39.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.04 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 20.48% and a negative return on equity of 23.51%. The firm's revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 27th. Yum! Brands's dividend payout ratio is 48.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

YUM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $177.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Yum! Brands from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $168.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.17.

About Yum! Brands

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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