Tidal Investments LLC Increases Stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)

Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 54.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 47,604 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 16,767 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC's holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $6,651,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of YUM. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its stake in Yum! Brands by 957.1% in the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 222 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Yum! Brands by 43.6% during the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 270 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE YUM traded down $1.64 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $137.00. 1,044,313 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,415,504. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $124.76 and a one year high of $143.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.61, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $135.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $134.50.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 21.13% and a negative return on equity of 18.93%. The firm's revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.67 dividend. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Yum! Brands's payout ratio is 50.09%.

Insider Activity at Yum! Brands

In other Yum! Brands news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,005 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.43, for a total transaction of $941,682.15. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 155,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,955,351.69. This trade represents a 4.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,069 shares of company stock worth $2,842,965. 0.31% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Yum! Brands from $137.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Loop Capital dropped their target price on Yum! Brands from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Yum! Brands currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $145.94.

Yum! Brands Company 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.