Insider Selling: Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Insider Sells 3,000 Shares of Stock

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,453.10. The trade was a 76.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $55.71 on Friday. Yum China has a 52 week low of $41.00 and a 52 week high of $55.84. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $48.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market cap of $20.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.14.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. The business 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 14.46%. 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 business posted $0.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.25%.

Yum China announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Friday, December 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

More Yum China News

Here are the key news stories impacting Yum China this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Yum China reported $0.40 EPS vs. $0.35 expected and revenue of $2.82B (vs. $2.72B est.), with revenue up ~8.8% year‑over‑year and improving net margins, driving investor optimism. Yum China Q4 Earnings & Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion & franchise mix — management outlined a plan to add >1,900 new stores in 2026 and push franchise mix to ~40–50%, which supports faster unit growth and margin leverage. Yum China outlines over 1,900 new stores
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike — the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.29 (a ~20.8% increase), boosting the cash-return profile and appealing to income investors. Yum China Declares USD 0.29 Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Delivery & margin tailwinds — several writeups and the earnings presentation note a “delivery boom” that helped profitability this quarter; watch sustainability of those margins. Yum China Lifts Dividend After Delivery Boom
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum coverage — several analyst/market‑style pieces (Zacks, Seeking Alpha) highlight YUMC as a momentum name based on recent price action and style scores; useful for sentiment tracking but not new fundamental data. Momentum coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation & reassessment risk — a recent commentary asks whether investors should reassess YUMC after the run-up; with the stock near its 12‑month high and a P/E ~21, further upside may hinge on execution and sustained margin gains. Is It Time To Reassess Yum China?

Institutional Trading of Yum China

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Yum China by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,150,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,303,326,000 after buying an additional 5,164,701 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Yum China by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,957,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,039,945,000 after acquiring an additional 1,787,450 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 1.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,545,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,252,000 after acquiring an additional 158,607 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Yum China by 13.1% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,509,000 after acquiring an additional 677,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Yum China by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,971,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,317,000 after acquiring an additional 236,736 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 target price on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday. Finally, CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Yum China in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.05.

About Yum China

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.