JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) Price Target to $132.00

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) had its target price decreased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $134.00 to $132.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on YUM. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a hold rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Argus restated a hold rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Yum! Brands from $166.00 to $162.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a buy rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Yum! Brands presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $143.53.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:YUM opened at $136.19 on Friday. 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 $38.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.15, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $138.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.80.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The restaurant operator reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. Yum! Brands had a negative return on equity of 18.64% and a net margin of 22.92%. Yum! Brands’s revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Yum! Brands will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP David Eric Russell sold 9,919 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were 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 directly owns 18,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,419,025.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Paget Leonard Alves sold 6,309 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.19, for a total value of $859,222.71. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP David Eric Russell sold 9,919 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.63, for a total value of $1,285,799.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,661 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,419,025.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 30,373 shares of company stock worth $4,087,920 in the last quarter. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum! Brands

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in YUM. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bfsg LLC bought a new position in Yum! Brands in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands by 165.7% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 186 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Yum! Brands in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

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.