JPMorgan Chase & Co. Raises Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Price Target to $144.00

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its price objective boosted by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $137.00 to $144.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 7.38% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $155.00 to $153.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Yum! Brands from $143.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $156.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Yum! Brands from $150.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $145.25.

Yum! Brands Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE YUM traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $134.10. 680,135 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,957,817. The firm has a market cap of $37.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.78, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $133.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.75. Yum! Brands has a 52-week low of $115.53 and a 52-week high of $143.20.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The restaurant operator reported $1.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 21.96% and a negative return on equity of 18.90%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.41 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Yum! Brands will post 5.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 6,961 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.02, for a total transaction of $912,030.22. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 162,381 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,275,158.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO David W. Gibbs sold 6,961 shares of Yum! Brands stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.02, for a total transaction of $912,030.22. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 162,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,275,158.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Weir Mirian M. Graddick sold 1,309 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.40, for a total value of $179,856.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,233 shares in the company, valued at approximately $169,414.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 94,624 shares of company stock worth $12,946,761 in the last 90 days. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Yum! Brands by 165.7% in the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 186 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 79.8% during the first quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 187 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum! Brands in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Yum! Brands in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in Yum! Brands in the first quarter valued at $37,000. 82.37% of the stock is currently 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.