Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) Shares Sold by Griffin Asset Management Inc.

Griffin Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 8.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,073 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 815 shares during the quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $1,217,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 957.1% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 222 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new position in Yum! Brands in the second quarter valued at $37,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Yum! Brands during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the third quarter worth about $42,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of YUM opened at $130.79 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $132.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.59. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.13 and a twelve month high of $143.20. The firm has a market cap of $36.50 billion, a PE ratio of 24.45, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.11.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by ($0.04). Yum! Brands had a net margin of 21.13% and a negative return on equity of 18.93%. The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.44 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 50.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on YUM. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $141.00 price objective (down from $153.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $140.00 target price (down previously from $158.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Redburn Atlantic cut Yum! Brands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Argus raised shares of Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on Yum! Brands from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $144.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 3,815 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.06, for a total transaction of $522,883.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 149,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,474,708.10. The trade was a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands 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.