Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Stock Position Increased by International Assets Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Institutional ownership surged: International Assets Investment Management increased its Yum! Brands position by 2,946.3% to 75,000 shares, while hedge funds and other institutions collectively own 82.37% of the stock.
• Analysts remain moderately bullish: Fourteen analysts rate YUM a Buy and twelve rate it a Hold, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $171.65.
• Financial performance and dividends support the stock: Yum! Brands exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, with revenue up 12.2% year over year, and declared a $0.75 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 1.9% yield.

International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 2,946.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,000 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 72,538 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $10,226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the second quarter worth about $4,186,811,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 1,373.2% during 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 buying an additional 4,317,526 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the second quarter valued at approximately $638,589,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the second quarter valued at approximately $297,591,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the second quarter worth approximately $279,432,000. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

YUM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Gordon Haskett lowered their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $182.00 to $180.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Seaport Research Partners began coverage on Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. They set a "buy" rating and a $162.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded Yum! Brands from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Yum! Brands from $180.00 to $177.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $167.00 target price (down from $174.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.65.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

YUM opened at $155.24 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $146.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $153.48. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $134.26 and a 1 year high of $170.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.36 billion, a PE ratio of 19.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.55.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.18 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 25.42% and a negative return on equity of 24.57%. Yum! Brands's revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Yum! Brands

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

Insider Activity at Yum! Brands

In other news, CEO Christopher Turner sold 285 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.11, for a total transaction of $39,931.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 63,225 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,858,454.75. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 3,494 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.00, for a total value of $552,052.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 3 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $474. The trade was a 99.91% 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 12,778 shares of company stock valued at $1,966,393 over the last quarter. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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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