Neuberger Berman Group LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Yum China $YUMC

Neuberger Berman Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 10.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,453 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,426 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $6,438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Yum China by 16.1% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 21,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $935,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017 shares during the last quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Yum China by 12.1% in the third quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 11,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $517,000 after buying an additional 1,244 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 12.9% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,622,679 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,669,000 after buying an additional 300,289 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 8.3% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 528,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,674,000 after buying an additional 40,600 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Yum China by 43.4% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 22,498 shares of the company’s stock worth $966,000 after acquiring an additional 6,811 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum China news, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.18, for a total transaction of $5,738,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 433,306 shares in the company, valued at $23,909,825.08. This represents a 19.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s 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 in the company, valued at approximately $50,453.10. This trade represents a 76.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 135,117 shares of company stock worth $7,479,590 over the last three months. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Yum China Stock Performance

Shares of YUMC stock opened at $51.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.11. Yum China has a one year low of $41.00 and a one year high of $58.39. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $51.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.44.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.72 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Yum China announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Friday, December 12th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. CLSA reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 price objective on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 target price on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned 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.

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.