Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Sells 108,405 Shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank cut its stake in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 46.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 123,798 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 108,405 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $18,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 9,099 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,376,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $329,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 137,805 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $20,981,000 after acquiring an additional 2,332 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 150,154 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $22,715,000 after acquiring an additional 50,061 shares during the period. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 12,693 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,920,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares during the period. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:YUM opened at $159.22 on Thursday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $137.33 and a twelve month high of $169.39. The firm has a market cap of $43.97 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $160.16 and a 200-day moving average of $153.96.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.45 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 18.98% and a negative return on equity of 22.42%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.61 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

YUM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Oppenheimer lowered Yum! Brands from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Yum! Brands from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Aaron Powell sold 12,000 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.44, for a total value of $1,937,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 14,650 shares in the company, valued at $2,365,096. This trade represents a 45.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 284 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.02, for a total value of $47,149.68. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 14,138 shares of company stock worth $2,289,990 over the last three months. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.