Balentine LLC Acquires Stake in Yum! Brands, Inc.

Balentine LLC has taken a new position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) during the third quarter, as stated in their latest Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,027 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, which is valued at around $563,000.

In addition to Balentine LLC, several other institutional investors have recently adjusted their holdings in Yum! Brands. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its position in the company by an impressive 165.7% in the first quarter, now owning 186 shares valued at $26,000 after acquiring 116 more shares last quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. also expanded its stake in Yum! Brands by 79.8% during the same period, holding 187 shares valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares.

Crewe Advisors LLC entered into Yum! Brands stock with a new investment worth about $28,000 in the first quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. significantly boosted its holdings by 957.1% in the third quarter, now owning 222 shares valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 201 shares. Lastly, Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position by 43.6% in the second quarter, now holding 270 shares valued at $36,000 after buying another 82 shares. Currently, institutional investors and hedge funds hold 82.37% of Yum! Brands stock.

Stock Ratings and Analyst Insights

Yum! Brands has also recently attracted the attention of several analysts. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased its target price on Yum! Brands shares from $143.00 to $147.00 and assigned a "hold" rating as of August 7th. In contrast, TD Cowen downgraded the stock from a "buy" to a "hold" rating, reducing their price target from $156.00 to $145.00 on October 16th. Bank of America adjusted their target on Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00, labeling the stock as neutral as of October 22nd. Evercore ISI similarly downgraded Yum! Brands from an "outperform" to an "inline" rating, cutting their price target from $160.00 to $145.00 as of July 16th. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target from $137.00 to $144.00, also assigning a "neutral" rating in a report on September 16th. Currently, ten analysts have rated Yum! Brands with a hold rating, and six have given a buy rating, resulting in an average target price of $146.44 based on MarketBeat.com data.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

As of Wednesday, Yum! Brands shares opened at $134.72. The company’s market capitalization stands at $37.88 billion, reflecting a PE ratio of 24.67 and a P/E/G ratio of 2.09. Additionally, Yum! Brands has a beta value of 1.10. The 50-day moving average is $134.26, while the 200-day moving average is $134.81. Over the past year, the stock has seen a low of $123.60 and a high of $143.20.

The latest quarterly earnings report from Yum! Brands was released on August 6th, revealing earnings of $1.35 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations of $1.33 by $0.02. The company reported revenue of $1.76 billion, slightly below the anticipated $1.80 billion. Encouragingly, Yum! Brands posted a net margin of 21.96% despite a negative return on equity of 18.90%. Analysts predict that the company will achieve an EPS of 5.59 for the current fiscal year.

Dividend Declaration

Furthermore, Yum! Brands announced a quarterly dividend totaling $0.67, which was paid to shareholders on September 6th. Shareholders who were on record as of August 27th received this dividend, translating to an annualized dividend of $2.68, yielding 1.99%. The dividend payout ratio for Yum! Brands is 49.08%.

Insider Trading Activity

In terms of insider transactions, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,069 shares on August 15th at an average price of $137.92, reaching a total sale value of approximately $974,956.48. Following this sale, he possesses 159,132 shares valued at around $21.95 million, reflecting a negligible change in his ownership. Additionally, on October 15th, Gibbs sold another 7,005 shares at an average price of $134.43, totaling approximately $941,682.15. After this transaction, he holds 152,634 shares valued at about $20.52 million. Over the last three months, insiders have disposed of a total of 30,622 shares, valued at $4.17 million. Corporate insiders currently own just 0.31% of Yum! Brands stock.

Understanding Yum! Brands

Yum! Brands, Inc. operates globally, focusing on developing, managing, and franchising quick service restaurants. The company's segments include KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger Grill, catering to various food preferences, including chicken, pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, and Mexican cuisine.

Balentine, Yum, Investors