Insider Selling: Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Insider Sells $1,134,439.68 in Stock

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.08, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 76.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Yum China Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $49.47 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $44.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.87. Yum China has a fifty-two week low of $40.15 and a fifty-two week high of $58.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 15.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Yum China will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 27th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 27th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum China

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Yum China by 3.0% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 22,606,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,111,135,000 after purchasing an additional 649,629 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Yum China by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,135,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $531,593,000 after buying an additional 167,868 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox raised its stake in Yum China by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,553,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $408,366,000 after buying an additional 33,100 shares during the period. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD lifted its holdings in Yum China by 112.0% during the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 7,854,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,959,000 after acquiring an additional 4,148,966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, W1M Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Yum China during the second quarter worth about $320,227,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on YUMC. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Yum China from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.21.

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.