4,910 Shares in Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM Purchased by Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC

Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,910 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $785,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of YUM. Steph & Co. lifted its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 107.5% in the first quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 166 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Yum! Brands during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Yum! Brands in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands News Roundup

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum! Brands news, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 3,494 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.00, for a total transaction of $552,052.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 3 shares in the company, valued at $474. This trade represents a 99.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP David Eric Russell sold 7,961 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.15, for a total value of $1,219,227.15. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 11,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,831,674. This represents a 39.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 19,043 shares of company stock worth $2,978,180 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Yum! Brands Stock Down 2.4%

NYSE YUM opened at $150.69 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $153.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.82. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $137.33 and a 12-month high of $170.14.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 6.42 EPS for the current year.

Yum! Brands declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback 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 purchase up to 9.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

YUM has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $168.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on 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 price objective on Yum! Brands from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Argus dropped their target price on Yum! Brands from $185.00 to $180.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Yum! Brands presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.65.

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.