Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Insider Xueling Lu Sells 23,504 Shares of Stock

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) insider Xueling Lu sold 23,504 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.84, for a total value of $1,312,463.36. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $504,905.28. The trade was a 72.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Yum China Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE YUMC traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $55.72. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 190,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,539,171. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Yum China has a 52-week low of $41.00 and a 52-week high of $58.39. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.02.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. Yum China had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. Yum China’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Yum China declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Friday, December 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Yum China Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on YUMC shares. CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Yum China in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 price target on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Yum China presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.05.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Yum China by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,957,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,039,945,000 after buying an additional 1,787,450 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Yum China by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,545,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $680,252,000 after buying an additional 158,607 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Yum China by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,135,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $531,593,000 after buying an additional 167,868 shares during the period. Finally, Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,553,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $408,366,000 after buying an additional 33,100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

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.