Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) Shares Acquired by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM - Free Report) by 34.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,623 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 2,701 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $1,425,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in Yum! Brands during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 957.1% in the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 222 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.37% of the company's stock.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

NYSE YUM traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $125.64. The company had a trading volume of 2,092,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,968,513. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.13 and a fifty-two week high of $143.20. The company has a market capitalization of $35.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.11. The firm's 50 day moving average is $133.62 and its 200 day moving average is $133.63.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.04). Yum! Brands had a net margin of 21.13% and a negative return on equity of 18.93%. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.46 EPS for the current year.

Yum! Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.67 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Yum! Brands's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on YUM shares. TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $141.00 target price (down previously from $153.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Friday, January 10th. Redburn Atlantic lowered Yum! Brands from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Argus raised Yum! Brands from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 31st. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Yum! Brands has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $145.47.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,059 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.94, for a total transaction of $959,600.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,385 shares in the company, valued at $20,307,396.90. This trade represents a 4.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.