8,975 Shares in Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Purchased by Silvant Capital Management LLC

Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 8,975 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,435,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in Yum! Brands by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 569,676 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $86,197,000 after buying an additional 31,836 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the first quarter worth $1,589,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 584,953 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $88,030,000 after acquiring an additional 30,075 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter valued at $1,264,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 103,807 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $16,140,000 after purchasing an additional 17,189 shares during the period. 82.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Sean Tresvant sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.68, for a total transaction of $464,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $485,695.20. The trade was a 48.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Aaron Powell sold 6,001 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total transaction of $962,680.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,925,521.26. This trade represents a 33.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,549 shares of company stock worth $2,890,168. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of YUM stock opened at $152.24 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $41.55 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.55. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $137.33 and a 52-week high of $170.14. The business’s fifty day moving average is $153.45 and its 200 day moving average is $156.00.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 24.57% and a net margin of 25.42%.The firm’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, June 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to buy up to 9.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on YUM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings cut Yum! Brands from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $175.00 to $178.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.65.

Key Stories Impacting Yum! Brands

Here are the key news stories impacting Yum! Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Yum! Brands’ investment narrative is increasingly centered on artificial intelligence, automation, digital loyalty and personalized app experiences. Management is using these tools across Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut to improve delivery, inventory management and customer engagement, potentially supporting efficiency and sales growth. How Yum! Brands’ AI Automation And Loyalty Push Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: One valuation analysis argues that YUM could be approximately 19% below fair value, offering potential upside if investors view the company’s long-term brand strength, technology investments and international growth favorably. The appointment of director Kathleen Oberg to the Audit Committee was also highlighted as a governance development. Yum! Brands Could Be 19% Below Fair Value After Audit Committee Change
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive Sean Tresvant reported restricted stock unit vesting and the withholding of shares to cover taxes. The filing is generally routine and does not necessarily signal a change in management’s view of the company. Yum Brands Executive Sean Tresvant Reports RSU Vesting and Tax-Related Share Withholding
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundups from Zacks and other market commentators provide additional coverage of YUM but do not identify a decisive new earnings or operating catalyst. The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights McDonald’s, Starbucks and Yum! Brands
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP is investigating potential claims on behalf of Yum! Brands investors. Although no finding of wrongdoing was reported, the investigation creates legal and reputational uncertainty. Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims on Behalf of Yum! Brands Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Argus issued a pessimistic forecast for YUM, tempering the more optimistic fair-value commentary and suggesting concern about the stock’s near-term risk-reward profile. Argus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Yum! Brands Stock

Yum! Brands Company Profile

Yum! Brands, Inc (NYSE: YUM) is a global quick-service restaurant company that develops, operates and franchises a portfolio of well-known restaurant brands. The company’s principal brands are KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, each focused on distinct product categories—KFC on fried chicken and related menu items, Pizza Hut on pizza and complementary offerings, and Taco Bell on Mexican-inspired quick-service food. Yum! is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky and was formed as Tricon Global Restaurants in 1997 when PepsiCo spun off its restaurant businesses, later adopting the Yum! Brands name.

The company’s operating model centers on brand development, system growth and franchising; a large portion of its restaurants are operated by independent franchisees, and Yum! generates revenue through franchise royalties and fees in addition to sales from company-operated locations.