SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 262,541 Shares of Yum China $YUMC

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 241.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 371,327 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 262,541 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $15,937,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Yum China by 21.5% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,150,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,303,326,000 after acquiring an additional 5,164,701 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the 2nd quarter worth about $201,814,000. Carrhae Capital LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 2nd quarter valued at about $48,868,000. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd grew its stake in shares of Yum China by 30.4% in the 2nd quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 3,721,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $166,404,000 after buying an additional 868,188 shares during the period. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its position in Yum China by 355.1% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 1,001,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,280,000 after buying an additional 781,117 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on YUMC shares. CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.00.

Yum China Stock Up 0.9%

YUMC stock opened at $47.96 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.33 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Yum China has a twelve month low of $41.00 and a twelve month high of $53.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $47.08 and its 200-day moving average is $45.70.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.76. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 7.81%.The business had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.77 earnings per share. Yum China’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 2nd. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.83%.

Yum China declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Friday, December 12th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Yum China news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 4,888 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.10, for a total transaction of $235,112.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 22,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,082,731. This trade represents a 17.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Warton Wang sold 8,187 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.28, for a total value of $395,268.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 46,847 shares in the company, valued at $2,261,773.16. The trade was a 14.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,242 shares of company stock worth $878,397. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Yum China Company Profile

Yum China Holdings, Inc operates as the largest quick-service restaurant company in China, through its ownership and franchising of brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. The company’s core business encompasses full-service and fast‐casual dining, takeout and delivery channels, as well as ancillary services including loyalty programs and digital ordering platforms. Yum China’s restaurants offer a diverse menu that adapts global brand concepts to local consumer preferences, featuring items such as soy‐marinated chicken, customized pizzas and region‐inspired side dishes.

In addition to its signature brands, Yum China has expanded its portfolio to include innovative concepts tailored to evolving market trends, such as plant‐based offerings, self‐service kiosks and mobile app integrations.