Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $149.30 and last traded at $147.34, with a volume of 1970781 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (down from $158.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group raised their price target on Yum! Brands from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $141.00 target price (down previously from $153.00) on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Yum! Brands currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $147.37.

Yum! Brands Trading Down 0.4 %

The company has a market capitalization of $41.10 billion, a PE ratio of 28.21, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $133.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $134.64.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.71 per share. 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 1.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Yum! Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.34%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $311,000. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its position in Yum! Brands by 68.8% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 2,904 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 1,184 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Yum! Brands by 20.6% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 4,308 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $578,000 after purchasing an additional 735 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Yum! Brands by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,045,475 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $274,421,000 after purchasing an additional 258,369 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands during the 4th quarter valued at about $564,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

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.