Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Price Target Raised to $147.00 at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its price objective boosted by investment analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $143.00 to $147.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 8.25% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on YUM. 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 note on Wednesday. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $156.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.00.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Shares of YUM stock traded down $1.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $135.80. The company had a trading volume of 1,307,304 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,990,409. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $132.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.12. Yum! Brands has a 52-week low of $115.53 and a 52-week high of $143.20. The company has a market capitalization of $38.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.07.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 22.92% and a negative return on equity of 18.64%. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Yum! Brands will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum! Brands declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, May 15th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the restaurant operator to buy up to 5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 6,961 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.02, for a total transaction of $912,030.22. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Yum! Brands news, insider Scott Catlett sold 5,994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.50, for a total transaction of $848,151.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,936,793.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 6,961 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.02, for a total value of $912,030.22. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 162,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,275,158.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 27,089 shares of company stock worth $3,693,505 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Naples Money Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bfsg LLC bought a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 79.8% in 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 during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 165.7% in the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 186 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.