Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Buys 44,402 Shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 404.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,378 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 44,402 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $8,610,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 569,676 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $86,197,000 after buying an additional 31,836 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,589,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 584,953 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $88,030,000 after acquiring an additional 30,075 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,264,000. Finally, Ethos Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,372,000. Institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Yum! Brands

In other Yum! Brands news, CEO Christopher Lee Turner sold 270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.14, for a total transaction of $39,997.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 64,282 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,522,735.48. This trade represents a 0.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 1,837 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.00, for a total transaction of $279,224.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 3,497 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $531,544. This trade represents a 34.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 12,423 shares of company stock worth $1,953,721 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

YUM has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $168.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley raised Yum! Brands from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $180.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $175.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $177.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Yum! Brands from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.81.

Yum! Brands News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Taco Bell and KFC momentum supports expectations: UBS expects Yum! Brands to deliver solid second-quarter results, citing continued strength at Taco Bell, expansion at KFC and growth in digital sales. These trends could support revenue and same-store sales. Yum! Brands Set for Solid Q2 Results With Continued Taco Bell, KFC Momentum, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive: Yum! Brands has received an average “Moderate Buy” rating from analysts, suggesting expectations for additional upside despite the stock trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Yum! Brands, Inc. Receives Average Rating of Moderate Buy from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are awaiting the Q2 numbers: Earnings previews highlight Wall Street forecasts for revenue, earnings and key operating metrics for the quarter ended June 2026. The report will determine whether Taco Bell’s momentum, KFC expansion and digital growth translated into results that exceed expectations. Countdown to Yum Q2 Earnings: Wall Street Forecasts for Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Higher investments may pressure margins: Yum! Brands is increasing investments to support growth, which could weigh on second-quarter profitability even if sales remain solid. This creates a risk of a muted market reaction if earnings or guidance fall short of elevated expectations. Yum! Brands Gears Up to Report Q2 Earnings: Key Factors to Watch

Yum! Brands Stock Up 1.7%

Yum! Brands stock opened at $150.34 on Wednesday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $137.33 and a twelve month high of $170.14. The company has a market capitalization of $41.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.25, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $153.94 and its 200 day moving average is $156.73.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.74 EPS for the current year.

Yum! Brands declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, June 16th that permits the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the restaurant operator to repurchase up to 9.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

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

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.