David Eric Russell Sells 5,000 Shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) Stock

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) VP David Eric Russell sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.66, for a total value of $793,300.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,960 shares in the company, valued at $1,897,573.60. This trade represents a 29.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

NYSE YUM traded up $1.44 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $159.85. 1,302,225 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,899,623. The firm has a market cap of $44.61 billion, a PE ratio of 30.65, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.10. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.13 and a 52-week high of $164.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $137.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $135.88.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.71 dividend. This is a boost from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is currently 54.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on YUM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Argus raised shares of Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 31st. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $141.00 target price (down from $153.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Yum! Brands from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Yum! Brands from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Yum! Brands currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $150.65.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $43,944,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $95,000. Lakeshore Capital Group Inc. bought a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $475,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Yum! Brands by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,384 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $320,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $412,000. Institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

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.