Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Hits New 12-Month High Following Dividend Announcement

Shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after the company announced a dividend. The stock traded as high as $163.49 and last traded at $162.67, with a volume of 262271 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $159.57.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. This is a positive change from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

YUM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $179.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI raised Yum! Brands from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Yum! Brands has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.45.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $148.91. The company has a market capitalization of $44.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.59, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.66.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.03). Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 21.79% and a net margin of 17.95%.The company had revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.61 EPS. Yum! Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

More Yum! Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy on YUM and set a $180 price target (~13% upside from the recent level), signaling continued analyst conviction in Yum’s long-term growth (Taco Bell momentum and potential re-rating after Pizza Hut actions). TD Cowen Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Yum raised its quarterly dividend to $0.75 (a ~5.6% increase), which supports income-focused holders and signals management confidence in cash flow. Dividend Increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Top-line beats and same-store sales strength (led by Taco Bell and KFC international growth) show underlying sales momentum, partially offsetting profit concerns. Same-store Sales Beat
• Negative Sentiment: Yum reported Q4 non‑GAAP EPS of $1.73, missing consensus by a few cents — a near-term catalyst for selling pressure as margins showed stress despite revenue beating estimates. Earnings Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Yum said it will close about 250 underperforming U.S. Pizza Hut locations and is conducting a strategic review of the brand (including potential sale), raising uncertainty around near-term costs, restructuring and the future contribution from Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut Closures
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged margin pressure (a “margin squeeze”) even as sales rose, which tempers outlook for near-term profitability and could weigh on multiples until cost leverage returns. Margin Squeeze
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling was reported (~$6.3M across insiders), a datapoint some investors view as a cautionary signal even though it’s not atypical for the executive class. Insider Selling

Insider Transactions at Yum! Brands

In other news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 276 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.17, for a total value of $42,274.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 24,332 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.10, for a total transaction of $3,627,901.20. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 27,398 shares of company stock worth $4,090,015. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Yum! Brands

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of YUM. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 679.2% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 187 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the third quarter worth $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 81.7% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CNB Bank boosted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 833.3% during the third quarter. CNB Bank now owns 224 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.