Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) Shares Acquired by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 30.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 130,714 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,399 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $17,537,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUM. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new position in Yum! Brands during the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Yum! Brands during the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of YUM opened at $125.31 on Friday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.13 and a 12-month high of $143.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $134.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.63.

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

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $2.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In other news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 3,815 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.06, for a total value of $522,883.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 149,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,474,708.10. This represents a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on YUM. Redburn Atlantic lowered Yum! Brands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $141.00 price objective (down from $153.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Friday, January 10th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $143.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Eleven 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $146.24.

About Yum! Brands

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.