Centiva Capital LP Acquires New Position in Yum China $YUMC

Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 28,343 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,216,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jackson Grant Investment Advisers Inc. lifted 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 during the period. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China during the third quarter worth $28,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Yum China by 95.6% in the second quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co bought a new stake in Yum China in the second quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Yum China by 33.1% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on YUMC shares. CLSA restated an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 price target on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.05.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 433,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,909,825.08. This represents a 19.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Xueling Lu sold 23,504 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.84, for a total transaction of $1,312,463.36. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,042 shares in the company, valued at approximately $504,905.28. The trade was a 72.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 135,117 shares of company stock worth $7,479,590 over the last quarter. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Yum China Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE YUMC opened at $52.66 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $18.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $51.90 and its 200-day moving average is $47.68. Yum China has a one year low of $41.00 and a one year high of $58.39.

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

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.22%.

Yum China announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, December 12th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.