Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Sell-Side Brokerages

Shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the four ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.21.

Several research firms recently issued reports on YUMC. Wall Street Zen cut Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Yum China from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd.

Yum China Stock Down 1.4%

YUMC opened at $49.04 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $16.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.67. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $43.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.86. Yum China has a twelve month low of $39.72 and a twelve month high of $58.39.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. Yum China had a return on equity of 16.48% and a net margin of 7.90%. The firm had revenue of $3.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.50 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.76 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum China news, insider Pingping Liu sold 1,062 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.65, for a total value of $53,790.30. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 22,573 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,143,322.45. The trade was a 4.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.08, for a total transaction of $1,134,439.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $357,290.12. The trade was a 76.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 34,351 shares of company stock valued at $1,653,413. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum China

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of YUMC. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Yum China during the third quarter worth approximately $837,000. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum China in the third quarter worth $662,000. Boston Partners raised its stake in Yum China by 54.4% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 36,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,510,000 after purchasing an additional 12,949 shares in the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Yum China by 56.7% during the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 42,993 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,769,000 after purchasing an additional 15,550 shares during the period. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in Yum China by 16.4% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 878,810 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,118,000 after purchasing an additional 123,700 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Company Profile

Yum China Holdings operates quick-service and casual-dining restaurants in China. Its portfolio includes KFC and Pizza Hut, along with local and regional brands such as Little Sheep and Huang Ji Huang. The company was separated from Yum! Brands in 2016 and became an independent, publicly traded company. Its restaurants serve a range of meals and beverages, including fried chicken, burgers, pizza, hot pot and other Chinese-style dishes, as well as coffee. Yum China also offers delivery and digital ordering services through its apps and other platforms.