Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan Reduces Stock Position in Yum China $YUMC

Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan trimmed its position in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 16.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,102 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,876 shares during the period. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan’s holdings in Yum China were worth $2,011,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of YUMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 21.5% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,150,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,303,326,000 after buying an additional 5,164,701 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $883,687,000 after purchasing an additional 2,604,480 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 13.1% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,509,000 after purchasing an additional 677,928 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 14.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,734,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,196,000 after purchasing an additional 591,251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China in the second quarter valued at $201,814,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Yum China Stock Up 4.0%

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $57.87 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $48.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Yum China has a 12-month low of $41.00 and a 12-month high of $58.39. The company has a market cap of $20.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.14.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.46% and a net margin of 7.87%.The company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Yum China’s payout ratio is presently 38.25%.

Yum China announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Friday, December 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on YUMC shares. CLSA reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 price objective on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $58.50 price target on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Yum China currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.05.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.14, for a total value of $165,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,453.10. This represents a 76.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Warton Wang sold 8,187 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.28, for a total value of $395,268.36. Following the sale, the insider owned 46,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,261,773.16. This trade represents a 14.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,242 shares of company stock worth $1,043,817. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.