Yum China (YUMC) – What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the four research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $59.21.

Several analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of Yum China 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 sale, the insider owned 7,589 shares in the company, valued at $357,290.12. This trade represents a 76.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 14,586 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.72, for a total transaction of $696,043.92. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 63,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,032,176.52. This represents a 18.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Yum China by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 22,606,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,111,135,000 after buying an additional 649,629 shares in the last quarter. W1M Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the second quarter worth approximately $320,227,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the second quarter worth approximately $146,826,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the second quarter worth approximately $96,255,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of Yum China by 19.1% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,120,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,168,000 after purchasing an additional 339,552 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum China Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of YUMC stock opened at $44.52 on Friday. Yum China has a twelve month low of $39.72 and a twelve month high of $58.39. The stock has a market cap of $15.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $43.53 and a 200 day moving average of $44.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.03. Yum China had a return on equity of 15.82% and a net margin of 7.84%. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.58 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 27th were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 27th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.49%.

About Yum China

Yum China Holdings, Inc is a restaurant company focused on operating and developing quick-service and casual-dining brands in China. Headquartered in Shanghai, the company serves customers across mainland China through a large network of company-owned and franchised restaurants, supported by digital ordering, delivery and loyalty platforms.

Its principal brands include KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, for which Yum China holds the exclusive rights to operate and franchise restaurants in China.