Royal Fund Management LLC Has $207,000 Stock Holdings in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)

Royal Fund Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 38.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,563 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 988 shares during the period. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $207,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 24.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,012,969 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,022,648,000 after purchasing an additional 5,607,517 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Yum! Brands by 23.7% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 18,121,611 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,512,561,000 after acquiring an additional 3,470,883 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $331,831,000. Cantillon Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter worth approximately $200,668,000. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 10.2% in the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,669,356 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,033,906,000 after purchasing an additional 1,362,813 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on YUM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $143.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays raised their price objective on Yum! Brands from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Yum! Brands from $150.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $156.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Yum! Brands has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $145.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,069 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.92, for a total transaction of $974,956.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 159,132 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,947,485.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Yum! Brands news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 6,961 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.02, for a total transaction of $912,030.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 162,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,275,158.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,069 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.92, for a total transaction of $974,956.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 159,132 shares in the company, valued at $21,947,485.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 100,376 shares of company stock valued at $13,730,237 in the last ninety days. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Yum! Brands Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Yum! Brands stock traded down $0.41 during trading on Friday, reaching $137.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,669,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,981,394. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $132.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.43. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $115.53 and a 52 week high of $143.20. The firm has a market cap of $38.70 billion, a PE ratio of 24.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.07.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.02. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 21.96% and a negative return on equity of 18.90%. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.67 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is 47.52%.

Yum! Brands announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, May 15th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the restaurant operator to reacquire up to 5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About Yum! Brands

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.