Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut Yum China from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.05.

Yum China Stock Performance

NYSE:YUMC opened at $43.93 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.34 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.10. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $43.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.14. Yum China has a 1 year low of $40.15 and a 1 year high of $58.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.87. The firm had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.21 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 27th. Yum China’s payout ratio is 44.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum China

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Yum China during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $280,656,000. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its holdings in shares of Yum China by 112.0% during the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 7,854,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,959,000 after acquiring an additional 4,148,966 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Yum China by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,957,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,039,945,000 after acquiring an additional 1,787,450 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Yum China by 132.4% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,759,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,827,000 after acquiring an additional 1,002,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in Yum China by 1,727.2% in the first quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 779,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,027,000 after acquiring an additional 736,900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Company 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.