Norges Bank Takes $280.66 Million Position in Yum China $YUMC

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 5,882,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $280,656,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,944,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,131,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,011,000 after purchasing an additional 94,788 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,957,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,039,945,000 after purchasing an additional 1,787,450 shares during the last quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 25.1% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,249,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on YUMC shares. Wall Street Zen raised Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $58.50 price target on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered Yum China from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 price target on shares of Yum China in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.05.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of YUMC stock opened at $43.47 on Wednesday. Yum China has a 52-week low of $41.69 and a 52-week high of $58.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.09. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $47.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.36.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87. Yum China had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 7.83%.The business had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. Yum China’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Yum China will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 27th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.44%.

About Yum China

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.