Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to "Overweight" Rating

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Finviz reports. The brokerage presently has a $162.00 target price on the restaurant operator's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would suggest a potential upside of 13.49% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on YUM. Redburn Atlantic raised Yum! Brands from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $145.00 to $177.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 10th. Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $158.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Yum! Brands from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $157.86.

Yum! Brands Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:YUM opened at $142.75 on Wednesday. Yum! Brands has a 1-year low of $122.13 and a 1-year high of $163.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $144.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.41.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.85 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 18.42% and a negative return on equity of 20.80%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In other Yum! Brands news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,063 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.57, for a total value of $1,028,160.91. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 157,893 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,984,484.01. This represents a 4.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 268 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.97, for a total value of $39,119.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,755 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $256,177.35. This represents a 13.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,470 shares of company stock worth $1,821,172 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Yum! Brands by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,355,367 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $315,996,000 after buying an additional 94,026 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 151.4% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 156,690 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $24,657,000 after purchasing an additional 94,355 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the first quarter worth about $270,000. First National Bank Sioux Falls bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter worth approximately $283,000. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter worth approximately $939,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% of the company's stock.

Yum! Brands Company Profile

Yum! Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and franchises quick service restaurants worldwide. The company operates through the KFC Division, the Taco Bell Division, the Pizza Hut Division, and the Habit Burger Grill Division segments. It also operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill brands, which specialize in chicken, pizza, made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches, Mexican-style food categories, and other food products.

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