Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Given New $148.00 Price Target at Barclays

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its price objective lifted by analysts at Barclays from $144.00 to $148.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Barclays‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 9.18% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Yum! Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $144.44.

Yum! Brands Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of YUM stock traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $135.56. 1,465,645 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,989,659. Yum! Brands has a 12-month low of $115.53 and a 12-month high of $143.20. The stock has a market cap of $38.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.33, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $138.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.40.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The restaurant operator reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 22.57% and a negative return on equity of 17.76%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.06 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Yum! Brands will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP David Eric Russell sold 9,919 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.63, for a total transaction of $1,285,799.97. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,419,025.43. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 7,078 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total value of $979,382.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 172,128 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,817,351.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP David Eric Russell sold 9,919 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.63, for a total transaction of $1,285,799.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,419,025.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 24,064 shares of company stock valued at $3,228,698. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum! Brands

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter valued at about $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 acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 82.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.