1,868,625 Shares in Yum China $YUMC Bought by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,868,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,294,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 22,606,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,111,135,000 after acquiring an additional 649,629 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Yum China by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,135,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $531,593,000 after acquiring an additional 167,868 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox grew its holdings in Yum China by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,553,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $408,366,000 after purchasing an additional 33,100 shares during the period. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD grew its holdings 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 worth $374,959,000 after purchasing an additional 4,148,966 shares during the period. Finally, W1M Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the second quarter valued at approximately $320,227,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on YUMC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 14,586 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.72, for a total value of $696,043.92. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 63,541 shares in the company, valued at $3,032,176.52. This trade represents a 18.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $357,290.12. The trade was a 76.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $44.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.43, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.09. Yum China has a twelve month low of $40.15 and a twelve month high of $58.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a 50 day moving average of $44.80 and a 200 day moving average of $47.65.

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

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 27th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.49%.

Yum China 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.