Handelsbanken Fonder AB Cuts Stock Position in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 43.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 125,680 shares of the company’s stock after selling 98,111 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Yum China were worth $5,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum China in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Yum China by 380.2% during the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 922 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the period. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum China Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:YUMC opened at $39.05 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $40.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.00. The company has a market capitalization of $15.31 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.55 and a 52-week high of $64.50.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 11.63% and a net margin of 7.53%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.2 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 4th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 price target (down previously from $65.00) on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, January 4th. HSBC dropped their price objective on Yum China from $66.80 to $51.30 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.65.

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.