Vontobel Holding Ltd. Acquires 87,583 Shares of Yum China $YUMC

Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 6.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,444,892 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 87,583 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Yum China were worth $62,015,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of YUMC. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Yum China by 95.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 665 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA acquired a new stake in Yum China during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Yum China during the second quarter worth $45,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Yum China by 26.7% in the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Yum China by 76.3% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Performance

NYSE YUMC opened at $48.47 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $46.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.37. Yum China has a 12-month low of $41.00 and a 12-month high of $53.99. The company has a market capitalization of $17.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76. The company had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.81% and a return on equity of 14.08%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.77 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 2nd. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.83%.

Yum China announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Friday, December 12th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on YUMC. CLSA restated an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Yum China currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $55.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 5,167 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total transaction of $248,016.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 56,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,716,896. This represents a 8.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 4,888 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.10, for a total value of $235,112.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 22,510 shares in the company, valued at $1,082,731. The trade was a 17.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 18,242 shares of company stock worth $878,397. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.