Alberta Investment Management Corp Has $70.39 Million Stock Holdings in Yum China $YUMC

Alberta Investment Management Corp cut its holdings in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,640,100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 27,800 shares during the quarter. Yum China makes up 0.7% of Alberta Investment Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Alberta Investment Management Corp owned approximately 0.45% of Yum China worth $70,393,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 21.5% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,150,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,303,326,000 after acquiring an additional 5,164,701 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Yum China by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $883,687,000 after purchasing an additional 2,604,480 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Yum China by 1.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,545,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,252,000 after buying an additional 158,607 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of Yum China by 13.1% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,509,000 after buying an additional 677,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Yum China by 14.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,734,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,196,000 after buying an additional 591,251 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Performance

NYSE:YUMC opened at $55.33 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.32. Yum China has a fifty-two week low of $41.00 and a fifty-two week high of $58.39. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $50.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.67. The company has a market capitalization of $20.00 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.14.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.05. Yum China had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Yum China’s payout ratio is currently 38.25%.

Yum China declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Friday, December 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. CLSA reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $58.50 price target on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 target price on shares of Yum China in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum China news, insider Warton Wang sold 8,187 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.28, for a total value of $395,268.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 46,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,261,773.16. The trade was a 14.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.14, for a total value of $165,420.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 915 shares in the company, valued at $50,453.10. The trade was a 76.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 124,688 shares of company stock valued at $6,797,508. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.