Virtu Financial LLC Acquires New Shares in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 6,705 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $876,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new position in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.37% of the company's stock.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

NYSE YUM traded down $1.22 during trading on Friday, reaching $136.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,418,495 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,524,531. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $115.53 and a twelve month high of $143.20. The firm has a market cap of $38.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.08. The business's fifty day moving average price is $138.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.56.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The restaurant operator reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.05). Yum! Brands had a net margin of 22.92% and a negative return on equity of 18.64%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.06 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. Yum! Brands's dividend payout ratio is presently 47.52%.

Yum! Brands declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, May 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to purchase up to 5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on YUM shares. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $166.00 to $162.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Yum! Brands from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Yum! Brands in a report on Thursday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Yum! Brands from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Argus reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $144.33.

Insider Activity at Yum! Brands

In other Yum! Brands news, insider Scott Catlett sold 5,994 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.50, for a total transaction of $848,151.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 34,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,936,793.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Paget Leonard Alves sold 6,309 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.19, for a total value of $859,222.71. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Scott Catlett sold 5,994 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.50, for a total value of $848,151.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 34,889 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,936,793.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 26,454 shares of company stock worth $3,656,748 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

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.