Empowered Funds LLC Buys 3,518 Shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)

Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 12.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,814 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,518 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $4,268,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in Yum! Brands during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its position in Yum! Brands by 957.1% during the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 222 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. raised its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 295 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 649.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 367 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. 82.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Yum! Brands Stock Down 1.0 %

Yum! Brands stock opened at $146.62 on Wednesday. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.13 and a twelve month high of $148.20. The business has a fifty day moving average of $132.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $134.08. The firm has a market cap of $40.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.11.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is an increase from Yum! Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. Yum! Brands’s payout ratio is currently 54.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum! Brands

In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 3,815 shares of the business’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 transaction of $522,883.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 149,385 shares in the company, valued at $20,474,708.10. The trade was a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $154.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Argus raised Yum! Brands from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 31st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Yum! Brands from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Yum! Brands from $147.00 to $145.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Yum! Brands has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $147.37.

Yum! Brands 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.