JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Price Target to $160.00

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its target price upped by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $138.00 to $160.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 1.44% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on YUM. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Yum! Brands from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $141.00 target price (down from $153.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Friday, January 10th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays boosted their target price on Yum! Brands from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. 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 research report on Friday, February 7th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $151.79.

Yum! Brands Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE YUM traded up $0.22 on Thursday, reaching $157.73. The company had a trading volume of 236,298 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,874,811. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $142.72 and its 200-day moving average is $137.53. The stock has a market cap of $44.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.27, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.03. Yum! Brands has a 52 week low of $122.13 and a 52 week high of $163.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In other Yum! Brands news, VP David Eric Russell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.66, for a total value of $793,300.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 11,960 shares in the company, valued at $1,897,573.60. This represents a 29.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 30,604 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.46, for a total value of $4,880,113.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 160,296 shares in the company, valued at $25,560,800.16. This represents a 16.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,132 shares of company stock worth $7,952,685 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum! Brands

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in YUM. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 10.5% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,817,000 after purchasing an additional 1,234 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in Yum! Brands by 153.1% during the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 4,016 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 2,429 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its position in Yum! Brands by 3.7% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 7,112 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $994,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Yum! Brands by 3.6% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,214 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the third quarter worth approximately $4,081,000. 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.