Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Price Target Raised to $160.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its target price hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $145.00 to $160.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on YUM. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $140.00 price target (down from $158.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Yum! Brands from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Yum! Brands from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $150.65.

Yum! Brands Trading Up 0.7 %

YUM stock opened at $159.53 on Wednesday. Yum! Brands has a 1-year low of $122.13 and a 1-year high of $161.28. The firm has a market cap of $44.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.03. The business’s 50 day moving average is $137.81 and its 200-day moving average is $136.04.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.41%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum! Brands news, VP David Eric Russell sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.66, for a total transaction of $793,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,897,573.60. This represents a 29.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 3,815 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.06, for a total value of $522,883.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 149,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,474,708.10. This trade represents a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $43,944,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new position in Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $95,000. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. bought a new position in Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $475,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Yum! Brands by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,384 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $320,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. Finally, Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $412,000. Institutional investors 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.