Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) Holdings Lifted by Cantillon Capital Management LLC

Cantillon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 3.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,428,040 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 51,690 shares during the quarter. Cantillon Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.51% of Yum! Brands worth $199,511,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. acquired a new position in Yum! Brands in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $208,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 12.8% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 23,332 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,235,000 after buying an additional 2,650 shares during the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP bought a new stake in Yum! Brands during the first quarter valued at about $402,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Yum! Brands by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 32,556 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,515,000 after purchasing an additional 5,637 shares during the period. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 32.8% in the first quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,808 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of Yum! Brands stock opened at $134.01 on Tuesday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.70 and a 52 week high of $143.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $134.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $134.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.40 billion, a PE ratio of 25.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.10.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. Yum! Brands’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.48 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

YUM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Redburn Atlantic cut Yum! Brands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $137.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,059 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.94, for a total value of $959,600.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 149,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,307,396.90. This trade represents a 4.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,069 shares of company stock worth $2,842,965. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.