Yum China $YUMC Stock Sold by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA trimmed its position in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 324,988 shares of the company’s stock after selling 40,000 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Yum China were worth $13,369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nykredit A S bought a new position in Yum China in the 2nd quarter worth $7,154,000. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China in the second quarter worth about $3,192,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Yum China during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $18,090,000. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China in the first quarter worth $8,453,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Yum China in the second quarter worth $2,831,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Yum China from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Yum China currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other Yum China news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 7,589 shares in the company, 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.78, for a total value of $149,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $64,962.90. This represents a 69.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 37,351 shares of company stock worth $1,802,753 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Up 0.5%

Yum China stock opened at $49.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $16.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Yum China has a 12 month low of $39.72 and a 12 month high of $58.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.87.

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

Yum China Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued 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 is currently 40.28%.

Yum China 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.