The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Makes New $22.64 Million Investment in Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 141,601 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $22,636,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 569,676 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $86,197,000 after purchasing an additional 31,836 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 1st quarter worth about $1,589,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 30,075 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth about $1,264,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 103,807 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $16,140,000 after purchasing an additional 17,189 shares during the last quarter. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Yum! Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Core brands continue to grow. Stonegate Capital Partners said second-quarter results showed ex-Pizza Hut system sales up 7%, unit growth of 6%, same-store sales growth of 4% and core operating profit growth of 8%. The firm highlighted Taco Bell’s U.S. growth and KFC’s international expansion potential. Stonegate Capital Partners Initiates Coverage on Yum! Brands
• Positive Sentiment: Lower beef costs could support restaurant margins. A temporary 90-day waiver of tariffs on beef imports may reduce input costs for fast-food operators, potentially benefiting Yum!’s restaurant franchisees. ETFs to Gain as Trump Waives Off Tariffs on Beef Imports Temporarily
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are sharply divided. Robert W. Baird upgraded Yum! Brands to “strong-buy,” while Zacks Research downgraded it to “strong sell,” signaling substantial uncertainty over the company’s outlook and valuation.
• Negative Sentiment: Growth expectations and valuation are weighing on sentiment. Estimates for 2026 have been trimmed, while valuation analysis suggests YUM is near fair value or somewhat expensive. An article also argues that anticipated gains from AI automation may already be reflected in the stock price. Yum! Brands stock holds above $150 as estimates are trimmed
• Negative Sentiment: Investor investigation adds legal overhang. Pomerantz LLP said it is investigating potential claims on behalf of Yum! Brands investors. The announcement could increase reputational and litigation concerns, although an investigation does not establish wrongdoing by the company. Pomerantz investor alert regarding Yum! Brands

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In other news, CEO Aaron Powell sold 6,001 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 transaction of $962,680.42. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 12,003 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,925,521.26. This represents a 33.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 3,494 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.00, for a total transaction of $552,052.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 3 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $474. This represents a 99.91% decrease in their position. 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 sold 19,043 shares of company stock valued at $2,978,180 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on YUM. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research downgraded Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.65.

Yum! Brands Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NYSE YUM opened at $150.69 on Friday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $137.33 and a 12-month high of $170.14. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $153.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.82. The company has a market cap of $41.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.55.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.04. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 25.42% and a negative return on equity of 24.57%. The firm had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum! Brands declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase $4.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to buy up to 9.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.