Yum China $YUMC Stock: Matthews International Capital Management LLC Lowers Holdings

Matthews International Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 40.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 219,554 shares of the company’s stock after selling 151,612 shares during the quarter. Yum China accounts for 3.7% of Matthews International Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Matthews International Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $9,024,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 49,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,053,000 after purchasing an additional 5,170 shares during the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 3rd quarter valued at about $70,000. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Yum China in the 3rd quarter valued at about $205,000. Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in Yum China by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 10,352 shares of the company’s stock valued at $425,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Yum China by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Yum China news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.08, for a total value of $1,134,439.68. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $357,290.12. This represents a 76.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Pingping Liu sold 1,062 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.65, for a total transaction of $53,790.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,573 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,143,322.45. This represents a 4.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 34,351 shares of company stock valued at $1,653,413. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Yum China stock opened at $49.72 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.86. Yum China has a 1 year low of $39.72 and a 1 year high of $58.39. The company has a market capitalization of $16.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.06.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.76 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

YUMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Yum China from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Yum China has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.