Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Analysts

Shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the four ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, 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 objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.21.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 7,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $357,290.12. This trade represents a 76.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 14,586 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.72, for a total transaction of $696,043.92. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 63,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,032,176.52. This trade represents a 18.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Yum China

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of YUMC. Eastern Bank increased its position in Yum China by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 2,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Yum China by 7.8% in the first quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 6,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 441 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Yum China by 6.7% in the first quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 7,214 shares of the company’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 451 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in Yum China by 2.2% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after buying an additional 452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its position in Yum China by 0.9% during the third quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 51,307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,109,000 after buying an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Price Performance

NYSE:YUMC opened at $45.13 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company’s 50-day moving average is $43.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.83. Yum China has a 12-month low of $39.72 and a 12-month high of $58.39.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.03. The company 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.58 EPS. Research analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

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

Yum China Company Profile

Yum China Holdings, Inc is a restaurant company that operates and franchises quick-service and casual-dining restaurants in China. Its portfolio includes KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Lavasa, Huang Ji Huang, COFFii&JOY and East Dawning, offering products such as fried chicken, pizza, Mexican-inspired food, coffee and traditional Chinese cuisine.

KFC China and Pizza Hut China are the company’s principal brands, serving customers through restaurants, delivery and digital ordering channels.