Yum China $YUMC Holdings Increased by North of South Capital LLP

North of South Capital LLP boosted its position in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,976,100 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 439,619 shares during the quarter. Yum China comprises 5.6% of North of South Capital LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. North of South Capital LLP’s holdings in Yum China were worth $81,218,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new position in shares of Yum China during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Yum China in the second quarter worth $29,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Yum China by 55.5% in the third quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 726 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum China in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China in the second quarter worth $33,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Yum China Price Performance

Yum China stock traded up $1.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $50.74. 1,686,554 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,918,280. Yum China has a one year low of $39.72 and a one year high of $58.39. The stock has a market cap of $17.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $44.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.87.

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

Yum China Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Yum China’s payout ratio is currently 40.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity at Yum China

In other Yum China news, insider Warton Wang sold 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.56, for a total transaction of $187,072.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 50,823 shares in the company, valued at $2,569,610.88. This trade represents a 6.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.78, for a total value of $149,340.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $64,962.90. This trade represents a 69.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 37,351 shares of company stock valued at $1,802,753. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Yum China

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.