SG Americas Securities LLC Has $5.67 Million Holdings in Yum! Brands, Inc. $YUM

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 387.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,269 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,617 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $5,665,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of YUM. Amundi grew its position in Yum! Brands by 115.8% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,311,849 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $197,013,000 after purchasing an additional 703,891 shares during the last quarter. Verus Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Yum! Brands in the second quarter valued at $288,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Yum! Brands by 34.3% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,789,728 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $413,382,000 after purchasing an additional 713,167 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in Yum! Brands by 126.1% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 29,192 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,326,000 after purchasing an additional 16,282 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Yum! Brands by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,706,658 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $252,893,000 after buying an additional 6,360 shares during the period. 82.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:YUM opened at $155.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.67. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.13 and a 1 year high of $163.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $150.37 and a 200-day moving average of $148.00.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.12. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 21.79% and a net margin of 17.95%.The firm had revenue of $1.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.96 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.37 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum! Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were issued a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 2nd. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is currently 55.36%.

Key Stories Impacting Yum! Brands

Here are the key news stories impacting Yum! Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on Yum! to $179, signaling conviction in upside vs. the current trading range and providing tangible valuation support. Barclays Increases Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Price Target to $179.00
• Positive Sentiment: Gordon Haskett upgraded YUM from hold to buy, adding buying momentum from the sell-side and reinforcing investor confidence. Gordon Haskett upgrades Yum! Brands (YUM)
• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “overweight” rating, which supports demand from investors who follow benchmark research. Sanford Bernstein reaffirms overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Yum!’s multi-year shareholder returns (about a 9.0% CAGR over five years), which can attract long-term investors and supports valuation stability. Yum! Brands shareholders have earned a 9.0% CAGR over the last five years
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive overall (consensus “Moderate Buy”), but it points to mixed analyst views and moderate upside rather than a unanimous bullish case. Yum! Brands Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Several write-ups describe analyst sentiment as “cautiously optimistic” amid leadership changes — this tempers enthusiasm and suggests the stock could see increased volatility while investors wait for clarity. Cautiously Optimistic Analyst Sentiment on Yum! Brands (YUM) Amid Leadership Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: BMO Capital issued a “hold,” which may cap near-term upside from investors who follow that shop. Yum! Brands Gets a Hold from BMO Capital
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer downgraded Yum!, introducing sell-side downside pressure and signaling that some analysts see execution or leadership risks that could weigh on growth expectations. Oppenheimer downgrades Yum! Brands (YUM)

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum! Brands news, insider Erika Burkhardt sold 1,269 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.37, for a total value of $189,550.53. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 64 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,559.68. This trade represents a 95.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Scott Mezvinsky sold 1,755 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.81, for a total transaction of $261,161.55. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,695 shares of company stock valued at $4,582,843. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on YUM shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Friday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $165.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $160.00 price objective on Yum! Brands in a report on Monday, November 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Yum! Brands in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $162.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.15.

Yum! Brands Profile

Yum! Brands, Inc (NYSE: YUM) is a global quick-service restaurant company that develops, operates and franchises a portfolio of well-known restaurant brands. The company’s principal brands are KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, each focused on distinct product categories—KFC on fried chicken and related menu items, Pizza Hut on pizza and complementary offerings, and Taco Bell on Mexican-inspired quick-service food. Yum! is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky and was formed as Tricon Global Restaurants in 1997 when PepsiCo spun off its restaurant businesses, later adopting the Yum! Brands name.

The company’s operating model centers on brand development, system growth and franchising; a large portion of its restaurants are operated by independent franchisees, and Yum! generates revenue through franchise royalties and fees in addition to sales from company-operated locations.