Key Financial Inc Boosts Holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Key Financial Inc grew its position in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 533.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,040 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,560 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc’s holdings in Yum China were worth $129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in YUMC. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 116.8% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 464 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Yum China during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on YUMC. HSBC reduced their target price on shares of Yum China from $66.80 to $51.30 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down from $65.00) on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.65.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of YUMC opened at $36.98 on Thursday. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.55 and a twelve month high of $64.50. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.12. Yum China had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 11.63%. The business had revenue of $2.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.32 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.13 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 5th were issued a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 4th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.65%.

Yum China Company Profile

Yum China Holdings, Inc owns, operates, and franchises restaurants in the People's Republic of China. The company operates through KFC, Pizza Hut, and All Other segments. It operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Lavazza, Little Sheep, and Huang Ji Huang concepts. The company also operates V-Gold Mall, a mobile e-commerce platform to sell products; and offers online food deliver services.