Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Purchases 10,041 Shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its position in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 540.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,900 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,041 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $1,800,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Augustine Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Yum! Brands by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Augustine Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,287 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co. increased its holdings in Yum! Brands by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 3,589 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. increased its holdings in Yum! Brands by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 3,527 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $536,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Yum! Brands by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in Yum! Brands by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 17,189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,613,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

YUM stock opened at $150.25 on Friday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $137.33 and a fifty-two week high of $169.39. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $157.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.00. The company has a market capitalization of $41.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.61.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.11. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 23.51% and a net margin of 20.48%.The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum! Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 27th. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is currently 48.39%.

Key Yum! Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple earnings estimates for Yum! Brands, including FY2026, FY2027, and FY2028, signaling improved profit expectations and a potentially stronger forward outlook for the restaurant operator.
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.75 per share, reinforcing its capital-return profile and offering income support for shareholders.
• Positive Sentiment: Yum! Brands’ India franchisee reported stronger operating trends, including a narrower loss and higher profit in FY24, which may suggest solid underlying demand for KFC and related brands in key international markets. Article: Yum Brands’ India franchisee posts narrower loss on KFC sales upswing
• Neutral Sentiment: RestaurantBusiness Online highlighted leadership lessons and brand-building at Yum! Brands, but the piece appears more informational than market-moving. Article: Operator Spotlight – Building Brands Over Time: Leadership Lessons from Yum! Brands
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch noted that Yum! Brands stock underperformed peers, which suggests some near-term relative weakness but does not by itself indicate a major fundamental shift. Article: Yum! Brands Inc. stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors
• Negative Sentiment: COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 1,837 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, a disclosure that can create a modest headwind for sentiment even though it was not a discretionary sale.
• Negative Sentiment: The pizza restaurant sector has been facing cost and demand pressure, highlighted by another chain’s Chapter 11 filing; while not specific to Yum!, it underscores broader industry caution for restaurant investors.

Insider Transactions at Yum! Brands

In other news, CEO Christopher Lee Turner sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.48, for a total value of $40,120.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 64,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,359,304.96. The trade was a 0.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 277 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.48, for a total value of $44,452.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,511.84. This represents a 36.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 2,890 shares of company stock valued at $451,123 in the last ninety days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on YUM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Yum! Brands from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, February 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $168.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Yum! Brands from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.22.

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.