Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Stock Rating Upgraded by The Goldman Sachs Group

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) was upgraded by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Finviz reports. The brokerage presently has a $167.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 15.95% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on YUM. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Yum! Brands from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Yum! Brands from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Yum! Brands from $130.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Fifteen equities 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 stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $157.30.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of YUM stock opened at $144.03 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $40.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.59, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.86. Yum! Brands has a fifty-two week low of $122.13 and a fifty-two week high of $163.30.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.01. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 19.68%. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. Yum! Brands’s quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Yum! Brands will post 5.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 5,293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.24, for a total value of $816,392.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 157,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,353,416.32. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 8,638 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.36, for a total transaction of $1,367,913.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,970 shares in the company, valued at $470,329.20. This trade represents a 74.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 26,730 shares of company stock valued at $4,061,323. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of YUM. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 78.0% during the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 162 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, HFM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.