Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) CEO Christopher Lee Turner Sells 270 Shares

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) CEO Christopher Lee Turner sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.14, for a total transaction of $39,997.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 64,282 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,522,735.48. The trade was a 0.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Christopher Lee Turner also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, May 1st, Christopher Lee Turner sold 250 shares of Yum! Brands stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.48, for a total transaction of $40,120.00.

Yum! Brands Trading Down 0.6%

YUM stock opened at $146.57 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $40.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.64, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.57. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 12 month low of $137.33 and a 12 month high of $169.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $156.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $155.66.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 20.48% and a negative return on equity of 23.51%. Yum! Brands’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 27th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.39%.

Institutional Trading of Yum! Brands

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Keel Point LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Groupama Asset Managment acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $477,000. Vestor Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $78,000. Western Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Yum! Brands by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,800,842 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $590,955,000 after purchasing an additional 15,715 shares during the last quarter. 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 announced a leadership transition in its COO role, with Tracy Skeans set to retire after more than 25 years and remain as an advisor through year-end. The orderly transition may reassure investors that the company is managing succession smoothly. Yum! Brands Announces Retirement of Tracy Skeans, Chief Operating Officer and Chief People & Culture Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Yum! Brands may sell Pizza Hut to LongRange Capital have fueled a “sum-of-the-parts” story, potentially allowing the company to focus on higher-growth, higher-margin brands like KFC and Taco Bell and use proceeds to reduce debt. Yum Brands in talks to sell Pizza Hut to private equity firm: report
• Neutral Sentiment: KFC announced a Supergirl-themed summer promotion with limited-edition meals, sauces, and collectibles. This could support near-term traffic, but it is too early to tell whether the campaign will materially move results. Supergirl Summer Takes Off at KFC® with New Supergirl Ultimate Meal, Character-Inspired Sauce Showdowns and Must-Have Limited-Edition Collectibles
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer included Yum! Brands among stocks he likes for diversification outside the AI trade, which may help keep YUM on investors’ radar but does not change fundamentals by itself. Jim Cramer says look to buy these 5 stocks outside the AI trade for diversification
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider filings showed CEO stock sales under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans. While routine, insider selling can still add pressure on sentiment when the stock is already under review. SEC Form 4 filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

YUM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Yum! Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $174.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $186.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Barclays set a $185.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.89.

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.