M&T Bank Corp Has $40.14 Million Stock Holdings in Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 250.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 265,338 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 189,573 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $40,140,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in Yum! Brands by 679.2% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 187 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Wiser Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Yum! Brands in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Community Bank N.A. bought a new stake in Yum! Brands in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Yum! Brands by 81.7% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 198 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CNB Bank grew its position in Yum! Brands by 833.3% in the third quarter. CNB Bank now owns 224 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE YUM opened at $159.22 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.96. The company has a market cap of $43.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.66. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $137.33 and a 1 year high of $169.39.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.76 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.45 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 22.42% and a net margin of 18.98%.Yum! Brands’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.61 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is currently 54.05%.

Key Headlines Impacting Yum! Brands

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated its rating and highlighted that Taco Bell and KFC retain solid momentum, calling Yum well positioned for continued growth — a supportive view ahead of earnings that can underpin confidence in top-line recovery and international expansion. Yum! Brands Backed by Taco Bell, KFC Momentum, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Pizza Hut relaunched “Hut Rewards” as a paid-style membership to deepen loyalty and drive frequency; if adoption lifts average unit volumes and retention, it supports long-term margins and comp growth. PIZZA HUT INTRODUCES NEW HUT REWARDS…
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a bullish style/metrics piece highlighting Yum as a growth stock based on its mix of brand strength and digital initiatives — a narrative that can attract growth-oriented investors. Here’s Why Yum Brands (YUM) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC Capital reiterated a Hold / Sector Perform on Yum, signaling caution on near-term upside despite the company’s durable brands — a neutral-to-cautious analyst stance that can limit short-term rallies. Yum! Brands (YUM) Receives a Hold from RBC Capital
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent valuation/write-ups note a consolidation after gains and show YUM trading at a premium vs. some peers; this keeps upside tied to execution rather than valuation multiple expansion. A Look At Yum Brands (YUM) Valuation After Recent Share Price Consolidation
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent transcripts and company commentary (Q2 2025 call) provide operational color but no new guidance; useful for modelling but unlikely to move the stock absent fresh metrics. Yum (YUM) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple earnings previews (Yahoo/Zacks) say Yum is likely to see EPS growth but lacks the two key ingredients typically needed for an earnings beat, flagging upside risk and raising the chance of disappointment at the upcoming report — a principal reason for downward pressure. Yum Brands (YUM) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

YUM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $179.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 284 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.02, for a total transaction of $47,149.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Aaron Powell sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $1,937,280.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 14,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,365,096. This represents a 45.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 14,138 shares of company stock valued at $2,289,990. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands 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.