Swiss National Bank Cuts Holdings in Yum China $YUMC

Swiss National Bank lowered its position in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 1.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 836,983 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,950 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.23% of Yum China worth $36,681,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of YUMC. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 526.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Yum China during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its stake in Yum China by 95.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the second quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 33.1% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other Yum China news, insider Xueling Lu sold 23,504 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.84, for a total value of $1,312,463.36. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,042 shares in the company, valued at $504,905.28. The trade was a 72.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.14, for a total transaction of $165,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,453.10. This trade represents a 76.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 135,117 shares of company stock worth $7,479,590 in the last ninety days. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Yum China Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:YUMC traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $52.66. The company had a trading volume of 193,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,648,877. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a 50-day moving average of $51.81 and a 200 day moving average of $47.64. The company has a market cap of $18.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.11. Yum China has a 1 year low of $41.00 and a 1 year high of $58.39.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 7.87%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Yum China’s payout ratio is presently 46.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Yum China 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.