Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) Given Consensus Rating of “Strong Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) have earned an average recommendation of “Strong Buy” from the four ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $48.70.

A number of equities analysts have commented on YUMC shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Daiwa America upgraded Yum China to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th.

Yum China Trading Down 6.0 %

YUMC stock opened at $41.33 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.49. Yum China has a twelve month low of $28.50 and a twelve month high of $53.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.32.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.20%.

Insider Transactions at Yum China

In other news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total value of $188,019.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 56,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,728,782.42. This represents a 6.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CTO Leila Zhang sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total value of $202,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 52,075 shares in the company, valued at $2,634,474.25. This represents a 7.13 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its position in Yum China by 689.6% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Graney & King LLC acquired a new position in Yum China during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Yum China by 58.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Yum China Company 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.