Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the four brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $59.0467.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Yum China from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:YUMC opened at $44.63 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $46.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.12. Yum China has a 12 month low of $41.69 and a 12 month high of $58.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.09.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.87. The firm had revenue of $3.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.21 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. Yum China’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Yum China will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of YUMC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Yum China in the fourth quarter valued at $280,656,000. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD increased its stake in Yum China by 112.0% in the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 7,854,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,959,000 after purchasing an additional 4,148,966 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased 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 valued at $1,039,945,000 after purchasing an additional 1,787,450 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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, Temasek Holdings Private Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 25.1% in the third quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 4,654,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,780,000 after acquiring an additional 932,859 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.