Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Stock Price Target Raised at TD Cowen

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at TD Cowen from $177.00 to $180.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. TD Cowen‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 13.45% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $180.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Yum! Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $167.00 price objective (down from $174.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.78.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Shares of YUM stock traded up $1.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $158.66. The company had a trading volume of 1,808,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,175,127. The company has a 50 day moving average of $146.30 and a 200 day moving average of $153.48. The firm has a market cap of $43.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.55. Yum! Brands has a 1-year low of $134.26 and a 1-year high of $170.14.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The restaurant operator reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.05 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 24.57% and a net margin of 25.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.58 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Yum! Brands will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Christopher Turner sold 285 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.11, for a total transaction of $39,931.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 63,225 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,858,454.75. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 3,494 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.00, for a total value of $552,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 3 shares in the company, valued at approximately $474. This represents a 99.91% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,288 shares of company stock worth $666,149. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,186,811,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 4,317,526 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Yum! Brands during the second quarter valued at approximately $638,589,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Yum! Brands in the second quarter valued at approximately $297,591,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Yum! Brands in the second quarter valued at approximately $279,432,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Yum! Brands reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.56, above the $1.47 analyst consensus. Revenue rose 3.8% year over year to approximately $2.05 billion, broadly in line with expectations. Yum Brands Surpasses Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: KFC’s global expansion helped offset weakness elsewhere, supporting system sales and reinforcing the value of Yum’s international franchise portfolio. Management also said Taco Bell trends have improved since late September. Yum Brands earnings beat estimates, but cyclospora outbreak weighs on Taco Bell
• Positive Sentiment: Management is emphasizing digital technology, value menus and customer-retention efforts as consumers face higher fuel and household costs. These initiatives could help protect traffic and spending. Yum Brands Focuses on Technology Adoption and Customer Retention
• Neutral Sentiment: Yum completed Pizza Hut divestitures and recorded a reported gain of roughly $1.7 billion. The transaction strengthens the balance sheet but is a one-time benefit rather than recurring operating growth. Yum Brands Reports Third-Quarter Results and Pizza Hut Divestiture Gain
• Negative Sentiment: Taco Bell same-store sales fell more than expected after a cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce reduced traffic. The issue weighed on revenue quality and remains the primary near-term concern for YUM. Taco Bell Sales Fall More Than Expected on Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Hit
• Negative Sentiment: All KFC and Taco Bell locations in Puerto Rico temporarily closed after Yum ended its relationship with a local operator, creating a short-term sales and execution risk while a replacement franchise partner is sought. KFC and Taco Bell Restaurants Close Across Puerto Rico

About Yum! Brands

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.