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

Griffin Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,918 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 260 shares during the quarter. Griffin Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $1,375,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bfsg LLC purchased a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 1st quarter worth approximately $48,000. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Down 0.1 %

YUM stock traded down $0.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $132.46. 5,818,971 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,881,942. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 1-year low of $115.53 and a 1-year high of $143.20. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $137.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.03. The firm has a market cap of $37.30 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.08.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The restaurant operator reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by ($0.05). Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 18.64% and a net margin of 22.92%. The business had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.06 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, May 15th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the restaurant operator to reacquire up to 5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Yum! Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were paid a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.52%.

Insider Transactions at Yum! Brands

In other news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,078 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total transaction of $979,382.86. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 172,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,817,351.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,078 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total transaction of $979,382.86. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 172,128 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,817,351.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,061 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.43, for a total value of $963,332.23. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 165,630 shares in the company, valued at $22,596,900.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,515 shares of company stock valued at $4,620,080. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on YUM shares. Citigroup decreased their target price on Yum! Brands from $166.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Yum! Brands in a research report on Thursday, June 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on Yum! Brands from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Yum! Brands from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $144.33.

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.