Yum China $YUMC Stock Holdings Lessened by Sepio Capital LP

Sepio Capital LP cut its stake in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 11.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,053 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,392 shares during the period. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Yum China were worth $494,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Yum China by 29.7% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 23,985,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,248,709,000 after acquiring an additional 5,485,735 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Yum China by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,076,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,119,000 after purchasing an additional 171,643 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 32,088 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 5,723 shares in the last quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China during the 1st quarter valued at about $14,681,000. Finally, Oak Harvest Investment Services acquired a new position in Yum China in the first quarter worth approximately $9,206,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Up 0.2%

YUMC opened at $48.25 on Tuesday. Yum China has a twelve month low of $41.00 and a twelve month high of $53.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $44.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.90. The firm has a market cap of $17.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.18.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76. The company had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 8.04% and a return on equity of 14.13%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.77 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is 39.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 5,167 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 56,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,716,896. This trade represents a 8.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 4,888 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.10, for a total value of $235,112.80. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 22,510 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,082,731. This trade represents a 17.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 18,242 shares of company stock worth $878,397 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on YUMC shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. CLSA restated an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Yum China in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $55.00.

Yum China Profile

Yum China Holdings, Inc owns, operates, and franchises restaurants in the People's Republic of China. The company operates through KFC, Pizza Hut, and All Other segments. It operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Lavazza, Little Sheep, and Huang Ji Huang concepts. The company also operates V-Gold Mall, a mobile e-commerce platform to sell products; and offers online food deliver services.