Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Shares Purchased by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 329,786 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,238 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.12% of Yum! Brands worth $48,598,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Yum! Brands by 81.7% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, CNB Bank grew its stake in Yum! Brands by 833.3% in the 3rd 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Christopher Lee Turner sold 242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.02, for a total transaction of $40,176.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,840,607.94. This represents a 0.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Aaron Powell sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total transaction of $1,937,280.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 14,138 shares of company stock valued at $2,289,990 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories 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

Yum! Brands Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:YUM opened at $159.22 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $43.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50-day moving average is $160.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.96. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $137.33 and a 12-month high of $169.39.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted 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 net margin of 18.98% and a negative return on equity of 22.42%. The business had revenue of $2.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $171.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Yum! Brands from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.50.

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.