Range Financial Group LLC Purchases 11,691 Shares of Yum China $YUMC

Range Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 11,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $480,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of YUMC. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new stake in Yum China in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new position in Yum China during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Yum China during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Yum China during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum China news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 14,586 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.72, for a total transaction of $696,043.92. Following the sale, the insider owned 63,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,032,176.52. This represents a 18.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $357,290.12. The trade was a 76.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:YUMC opened at $44.51 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $43.65 and its 200-day moving average is $44.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.96. Yum China has a 52 week low of $39.72 and a 52 week high of $58.39. The firm has a market cap of $15.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.07.

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

Yum China Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 27th were issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 27th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Yum China’s payout ratio is presently 42.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on YUMC shares. Wall Street Zen cut Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.21.

Yum China Profile

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.