Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Given New $143.00 Price Target at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its price target decreased by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $148.00 to $143.00 in a report released on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a hold rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Yum! Brands from $166.00 to $162.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Barclays increased their target price on Yum! Brands from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Yum! Brands from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. They set a neutral rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Argus restated a hold rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $145.31.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

YUM stock opened at $128.31 on Tuesday. Yum! Brands has a 1 year low of $115.53 and a 1 year high of $143.20. The firm has a market cap of $36.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $134.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.93.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted its 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 net margin of 22.92% and a negative return on equity of 18.64%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.06 EPS. Yum! Brands’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Yum! Brands will post 5.63 EPS for the current year.

Yum! Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th were issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.52%.

Yum! Brands announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, May 15th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to reacquire up to 5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,073 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.14, for a total value of $969,991.22. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 168,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,160,066.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Yum! Brands news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,073 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.14, for a total transaction of $969,991.22. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 168,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,160,066.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,061 shares of Yum! Brands 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 165,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,596,900.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,552,727. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Yum! Brands

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Bfsg LLC bought a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Yum! Brands by 79.8% during the 1st quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 187 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Yum! Brands by 165.7% during the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 186 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. 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.