Waverton Investment Management Ltd Purchases 539,531 Shares of Yum China $YUMC

Waverton Investment Management Ltd grew its position in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 12.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,851,909 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 539,531 shares during the quarter. Yum China makes up 2.7% of Waverton Investment Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Waverton Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Yum China were worth $208,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Broad Peak Investment Advisers Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in Yum China in the third quarter valued at $27,679,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Yum China by 14.3% during the 3rd 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 period. Pictet North America Advisors SA grew its position in shares of Yum China by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 497,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,299,000 after buying an additional 23,096 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 14.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $883,687,000 after buying an additional 2,604,480 shares during the period. Finally, Magellan Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the second quarter worth about $18,482,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Yum China Stock Down 1.1%

Yum China stock opened at $54.89 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.84 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.14. Yum China has a 12-month low of $41.00 and a 12-month high of $58.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $51.02 and its 200 day moving average is $47.18. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.22%.

Yum China declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Friday, December 12th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other Yum China news, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.18, for a total value of $5,738,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 433,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,909,825.08. This trade represents a 19.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Xueling Lu sold 23,504 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.84, for a total value of $1,312,463.36. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,042 shares in the company, valued at $504,905.28. The trade was a 72.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 135,117 shares of company stock valued at $7,479,590. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.