Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Increases Stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 32.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,747 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 7,787 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $4,826,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUM. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in Yum! Brands by 679.2% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 187 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the second quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In related news, insider Erika Burkhardt sold 1,269 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.37, for a total transaction of $189,550.53. Following the transaction, the insider owned 64 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,559.68. This trade represents a 95.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 24,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.10, for a total value of $3,627,901.20. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 30,695 shares of company stock valued at $4,582,843. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:YUM opened at $155.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.20 billion, a PE ratio of 30.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.67. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.13 and a 52-week high of $163.30. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $150.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $148.00.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.96 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 21.79% and a net margin of 17.95%.The company’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.37 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.36%.

Yum! Brands News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on Yum! to $179, signaling conviction in upside vs. the current trading range and providing tangible valuation support. Barclays Increases Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Price Target to $179.00
• Positive Sentiment: Gordon Haskett upgraded YUM from hold to buy, adding buying momentum from the sell-side and reinforcing investor confidence. Gordon Haskett upgrades Yum! Brands (YUM)
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “overweight” rating, which supports demand from investors who follow benchmark research. Sanford Bernstein reaffirms overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Yum!’s multi-year shareholder returns (about a 9.0% CAGR over five years), which can attract long-term investors and supports valuation stability. Yum! Brands shareholders have earned a 9.0% CAGR over the last five years
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive overall (consensus “Moderate Buy”), but it points to mixed analyst views and moderate upside rather than a unanimous bullish case. Yum! Brands Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Several write-ups describe analyst sentiment as “cautiously optimistic” amid leadership changes — this tempers enthusiasm and suggests the stock could see increased volatility while investors wait for clarity. Cautiously Optimistic Analyst Sentiment on Yum! Brands (YUM) Amid Leadership Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: BMO Capital issued a “hold,” which may cap near-term upside from investors who follow that shop. Yum! Brands Gets a Hold from BMO Capital
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer downgraded Yum!, introducing sell-side downside pressure and signaling that some analysts see execution or leadership risks that could weigh on growth expectations. Oppenheimer downgrades Yum! Brands (YUM)

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on YUM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Yum! Brands in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $179.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Yum! Brands from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $165.00 to $180.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.15.

Yum! Brands Company 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.