Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) Holdings Decreased by Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC trimmed its position in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 153,164 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 4,397 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Yum! Brands worth $20,548,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. increased its holdings in Yum! Brands by 52.1% during the 4th quarter. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 295 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 649.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 367 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 318 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in Yum! Brands by 24.7% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 566 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.37% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Yum! Brands news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 3,815 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.06, for a total value of $522,883.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,385 shares in the company, valued at $20,474,708.10. This trade represents a 2.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Shares of YUM traded up $1.30 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $148.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,354,325 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,192,754. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.13 and a fifty-two week high of $149.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.43, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $133.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.73.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Yum! Brands's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Yum! Brands's dividend payout ratio is 51.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on YUM shares. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $140.00 target price (down previously from $158.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays upped their target price on Yum! Brands from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Yum! Brands from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $147.37.

Yum! Brands Profile

Yum! Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops, operates, and franchises quick service restaurants worldwide. The company operates through the KFC Division, the Taco Bell Division, the Pizza Hut Division, and the Habit Burger Grill Division segments. It also operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill brands, which specialize in chicken, pizza, made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches, Mexican-style food categories, and other food products.