The restaurant name reported a third-quarter earnings and revenue beat
The shares of Yum! Brands, Inc (NYSE:YUM) are sinking lower after the Taco Bell parent's third-quarter earnings report. YUM posted earnings of $1.22 per share on $1.61 billion in revenue, topping expectations. Yum! Brands said a slowdown in its Pizza Hut chain was cushioned by strength in its Taco Bell and KFC businesses, and that the vaccine rollout helped bring more customers to its restaurants.
YUM was last seen down 1.4% at $124, as it continues to consolidate below the $127 level. The equity is testing its footing at the 10-day moving average, where it closed just below during yesterday's session. Year-to-date, Yum! Brands stock is up 15.9%.
Analysts have yet to chime in, though most in coverage are cautious on the stock. Thirteen say "hold," compared to seven "buy" or better ratings. The 12-month consensus price target of $133.86, meanwhile, is a slim 6.4% premium to last night's close.
Options traders are also bearish. The security's Schaeffer's put/call volume ratio (SOIR) of 1.08 stands higher than 91% of readings from the past year. This implies short-term options traders have rarely been more put-biased.
Echoing this, YUM sports a 10-day put/call volume ratio of 1.19 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which stands higher than 87% of readings from the past year. This means long puts are being picked up at a much quicker-than-usual clip.