Kelman Lazarov Inc. Cuts Stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)

Kelman Lazarov Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 9,992 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 127 shares during the quarter. Kelman Lazarov Inc.’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $1,306,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUM. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, DB Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Yum! Brands during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE YUM traded up $1.37 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $139.87. The company had a trading volume of 653,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,921,988. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $137.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.27. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $115.53 and a one year high of $143.24. The stock has a market cap of $39.37 billion, a PE ratio of 24.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.10.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The restaurant operator reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.13). Yum! Brands had a net margin of 22.57% and a negative return on equity of 17.76%. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.73 EPS for the current year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. This is an increase from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.94%.

Insider Activity

In other Yum! Brands news, VP David Eric Russell sold 9,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.63, for a total transaction of $1,285,799.97. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,419,025.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Yum! Brands news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,067 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.34, for a total transaction of $963,514.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 175,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,910,900.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP David Eric Russell sold 9,919 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.63, for a total value of $1,285,799.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,419,025.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,064 shares of company stock worth $3,228,698 over the last three months. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on YUM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $133.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Oppenheimer upgraded Yum! Brands from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $154.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Barclays decreased their target price on Yum! Brands from $146.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Yum! Brands from $164.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $145.00.

About Yum! Brands

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.