Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Insider Sells $149,340.00 in Stock

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.78, for a total transaction of $149,340.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,305 shares in the company, valued at $64,962.90. This trade represents a 69.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of Yum China stock traded up $1.53 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $50.74. The company had a trading volume of 1,686,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,918,280. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $17.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.06. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.87. Yum China has a 1-year low of $39.72 and a 1-year high of $58.39.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Yum China had a net margin of 7.90% and a return on equity of 16.48%. The firm had revenue of $3.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.76 EPS. Yum China’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of YUMC. Wealth Alliance LLC raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 11.8% during the third quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 11,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $493,000 after buying an additional 1,269 shares during the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Yum China by 15.2% in the third quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 1,016 shares during the last quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp boosted its stake in Yum China by 0.9% in the third quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 371,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,299,000 after acquiring an additional 3,400 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new position in Yum China in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,893,000. Finally, TIAA CREF Individual & Institutional Services LLC grew its holdings in Yum China by 36.9% during the 3rd quarter. TIAA CREF Individual & Institutional Services LLC now owns 4,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 1,119 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Yum China from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Yum China in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Yum China currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.21.

About Yum China

Yum China Holdings operates quick-service and casual-dining restaurants in China. Its portfolio includes KFC and Pizza Hut, along with local and regional brands such as Little Sheep and Huang Ji Huang. The company was separated from Yum! Brands in 2016 and became an independent, publicly traded company. Its restaurants serve a range of meals and beverages, including fried chicken, burgers, pizza, hot pot and other Chinese-style dishes, as well as coffee. Yum China also offers delivery and digital ordering services through its apps and other platforms.