Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren TGV Lowers Stock Holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren TGV cut its stake in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 12.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 350,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 50,000 shares during the period. Yum China makes up 1.2% of Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren TGV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Investmentaktiengesellschaft Fuer Langfristige Investoren TGV’s holdings in Yum China were worth $16,796,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Waverton Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 350.7% during the third quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 4,203,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $189,202,000 after acquiring an additional 3,270,560 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in Yum China in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,177,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its position in Yum China by 100.2% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 35,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,610,000 after purchasing an additional 17,898 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 21.3% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,510,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,017,000 after buying an additional 441,252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $322,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Yum China from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $35.50 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $49.57.

Yum China Stock Performance

NYSE YUMC opened at $46.62 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $46.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.68. The company has a market capitalization of $17.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.01, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.33. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.50 and a 1-year high of $52.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by ($0.01). Yum China had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 13.83%. Sell-side analysts expect that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is 27.47%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total transaction of $188,019.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,728,782.42. This trade represents a 6.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 6,377 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.47, for a total transaction of $302,716.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $789,948.27. The trade was a 27.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.