Yum China $YUMC Stake Cut by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,311,918 shares of the company’s stock after selling 233,150 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc.’s holdings in Yum China were worth $725,004,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD bought a new stake in Yum China during the third quarter valued at $159,431,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Yum China by 14.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $883,687,000 after purchasing an additional 2,604,480 shares during the last quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd increased its stake in Yum China by 25.1% during the third quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 4,654,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,780,000 after purchasing an additional 932,859 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Yum China by 13.1% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,509,000 after purchasing an additional 677,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Yum China by 43.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,220,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,655,000 after purchasing an additional 672,090 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

YUMC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Yum China from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 target price on shares of Yum China in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 target price on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.05.

Yum China Stock Performance

YUMC stock opened at $48.82 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.05. Yum China has a 1 year low of $41.69 and a 1 year high of $58.39. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $51.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.17.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87. The company had revenue of $3.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.21 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 7.83%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.77 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Yum China will post 2.92 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 27th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.44%.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 9,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $504,905.28. This trade represents a 72.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.18, for a total value of $5,738,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 433,306 shares in the company, valued at $23,909,825.08. This trade represents a 19.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 135,117 shares of company stock valued at $7,479,590. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.