Voya Investment Management LLC Purchases 11,228 Shares of Yum China $YUMC

Voya Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 34.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 43,393 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,228 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $1,902,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Yum China by 21.7% in the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 32,088 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 5,723 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Yum China by 1.6% in the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,026,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,740,000 after purchasing an additional 15,896 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new stake in Yum China in the 2nd quarter valued at $20,188,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Yum China by 21.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Magellan Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Yum China in the 2nd quarter valued at about $18,482,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Yum China has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.00.

Yum China Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:YUMC opened at $49.12 on Monday. Yum China has a 12-month low of $41.00 and a 12-month high of $53.99. The business has a 50 day moving average of $46.50 and a 200-day moving average of $45.45. 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 stock has a market cap of $17.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.14.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.76. The business had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 7.81%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.83%.

Yum China declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Friday, December 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 5,167 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total value of $248,016.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 56,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,716,896. This represents a 8.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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 dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.28, for a total transaction of $395,268.36. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,261,773.16. This represents a 14.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,242 shares of company stock valued at $878,397. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.