Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Shares Purchased by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Posted by Tristan Rich on Jul 19th, 2026

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its holdings in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM – Free Report) by 4,433.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 216,136 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 211,368 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $33,412,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Steph & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 107.5% in the 1st quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 166 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the third quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of YUM opened at $147.71 on Friday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $137.33 and a one year high of $170.14. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $154.38 and its 200-day moving average is $156.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.56.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 20.48% and a negative return on equity of 23.51%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th were paid 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 was Wednesday, May 27th. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.39%.

Yum! Brands announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 16th that permits the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the restaurant operator to reacquire up to 9.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on YUM. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $168.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, May 4th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Yum! Brands from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $180.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $177.00 price objective on Yum! Brands in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.81.

Get Our Latest Analysis on YUM

Yum! Brands News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: Yum! Brands reiterated its upcoming second-quarter earnings schedule, keeping attention on potential bottom-line improvement when results are released later this month. Yum! Brands Announces Q2 2026 Earnings and Conference Call Details
Positive Sentiment: Some analysts expect the Taco Bell lettuce scare to have a limited long-term impact, suggesting the stock could stabilize once the contamination issue is contained. The cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to Taco Bell is hitting some restaurant stocks, but don’t expect a long-term impact
Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also focused on what Yum! Brands’ next quarterly report may show, with commentary pointing to expected earnings growth for the quarter. What to Expect From Yum! Brands’ Next Quarterly Earnings Report
Negative Sentiment: Authorities linked Taco Bell’s shredded iceberg lettuce supplier to the cyclosporiasis outbreak, which could hurt Taco Bell sales, trigger cleanup costs, and create reputational risk for Yum! Brands. Sweetgreen Pares 26% Drop as Parasite Tied to Taco Bell Lettuce
Negative Sentiment: Taco Bell has already removed the affected shredded lettuce in some states after government warnings, reinforcing concern that the outbreak may disrupt operations and consumer traffic in the near term. What to Expect From Yum! Brands’ Next Quarterly Earnings Report

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 277 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.42, for a total value of $44,436.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 483 shares in the company, valued at $77,482.86. This trade represents a 36.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Sean Tresvant sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.68, for a total transaction of $464,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,140 shares in the company, valued at $485,695.20. This represents a 48.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 12,423 shares of company stock worth $1,953,721. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.