Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Buys 2,009 Shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) by 68.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,957 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,009 shares during the quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Yum! Brands were worth $648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Yum! Brands by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 7,887 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,030,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares during the period. 9258 Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Yum! Brands during the fourth quarter valued at $205,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in Yum! Brands by 268.8% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,914 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 1,395 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its stake in Yum! Brands by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 442,414 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $57,805,000 after acquiring an additional 3,115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,150 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $150,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.37% of the company’s stock.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

NYSE YUM opened at $135.91 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $138.11 and its 200 day moving average is $131.92. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a 1 year low of $115.53 and a 1 year high of $143.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.26 billion, a PE ratio of 24.10, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.07.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The restaurant operator reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 22.92% and a negative return on equity of 18.64%. Yum! Brands’s revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.06 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Yum! Brands news, Director Paget Leonard Alves sold 6,309 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.19, for a total transaction of $859,222.71. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Paget Leonard Alves sold 6,309 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.19, for a total value of $859,222.71. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP David Eric Russell sold 9,919 shares of Yum! Brands 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 18,661 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,419,025.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,373 shares of company stock valued at $4,087,920. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

YUM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Yum! Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Yum! Brands from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Yum! Brands in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on Yum! Brands from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 7th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.53.

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.