Yum China $YUMC Position Boosted by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,545,068 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 158,607 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc.’s holdings in Yum China were worth $680,252,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of YUMC. Broad Peak Investment Advisers Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of Yum China in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,679,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Yum China by 14.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,734,295 shares of the company’s stock valued at $203,196,000 after acquiring an additional 591,251 shares during the period. Pictet North America Advisors SA raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 4.9% in the third quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 497,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,299,000 after purchasing an additional 23,096 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $883,687,000 after acquiring an additional 2,604,480 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Yum China by 21.5% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,150,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,303,326,000 after purchasing an additional 5,164,701 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Yum China

In other news, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.18, for a total transaction of $5,738,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 433,306 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,909,825.08. This represents a 19.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.14, for a total value of $165,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,453.10. The trade was a 76.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 111,613 shares of company stock worth $6,167,127 over the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. CLSA restated an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 target price on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $58.50 price objective on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.05.

Yum China Price Performance

Yum China stock opened at $55.17 on Tuesday. Yum China has a one year low of $41.00 and a one year high of $58.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $50.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $19.94 billion, a PE ratio of 21.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.13.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.46% and a net margin of 7.87%.The company’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Friday, December 12th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Yum China’s payout ratio is 46.22%.

About Yum China

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.