Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Receives “Neutral” Rating from Citigroup

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating restated by analysts at Citigroup in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $141.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $153.00. Citigroup’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 10.40% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on YUM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Loop Capital cut their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Argus raised Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 31st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic lowered Yum! Brands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $145.61.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

NYSE:YUM opened at $127.72 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $35.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.87, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.11. Yum! Brands has a fifty-two week low of $124.76 and a fifty-two week high of $143.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $135.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $133.90.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 21.13% and a negative return on equity of 18.93%. Yum! Brands’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Yum! Brands will post 5.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,059 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 149,385 shares in the company, valued at $20,307,396.90. This trade represents a 4.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 17,879 shares of company stock worth $2,424,167 in the last quarter. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 3.4% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,164,159 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $419,123,000 after acquiring an additional 104,328 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at $7,645,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in Yum! Brands by 140.1% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 126,550 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $16,763,000 after purchasing an additional 73,844 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its holdings in Yum! Brands by 15.5% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 127,446 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $17,805,000 after buying an additional 17,133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the second quarter valued at $984,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.