Waverton Investment Management Ltd Has $195.80 Million Stock Position in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Waverton Investment Management Ltd cut its holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,063,963 shares of the company’s stock after selling 139,124 shares during the quarter. Yum China accounts for about 3.1% of Waverton Investment Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Waverton Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Yum China were worth $195,802,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Yum China in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Yum China by 43.9% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners grew its position in shares of Yum China by 56.9% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth about $110,000. Finally, Key Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of Yum China by 540.0% in the 3rd quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 2,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 2,160 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other Yum China news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total value of $188,019.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at $2,728,782.42. The trade was a 6.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Yum China Stock Performance

NYSE YUMC opened at $46.62 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $17.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $46.72 and a 200-day moving average of $43.75. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.50 and a 52-week high of $52.00.

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

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. Yum China’s payout ratio is 41.20%.

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.