Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Reduces Holdings in Yum China $YUMC

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,952,735 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100,988 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned approximately 0.54% of Yum China worth $93,224,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,944,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,131,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,011,000 after buying an additional 94,788 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,957,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,039,945,000 after buying an additional 1,787,450 shares during the last quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 25.1% in the third quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 4,654,717 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,780,000 after buying an additional 932,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centiva Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the third quarter worth $1,216,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on YUMC. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Yum China from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Yum China currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.05.

Yum China Stock Performance

Yum China stock opened at $42.74 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $14.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $46.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Yum China has a 12 month low of $41.69 and a 12 month high of $58.39.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87. The firm had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.21 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.77 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 27th. Yum China’s payout ratio is currently 44.44%.

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.