Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 16,728 Shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 354,244 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,728 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $17,063,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Yum China by 689.6% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in Yum China in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Yum China by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Yum China in the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of YUMC stock opened at $46.13 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $47.55 and its 200 day moving average is $47.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.27. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.50 and a 12-month high of $53.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 13.83% and a net margin of 8.06%. Yum China’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.71 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Insider Activity at Yum China

In related news, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total transaction of $1,851,796.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 382,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,021,879.47. The trade was a 8.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CTO Leila Zhang sold 4,000 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total transaction of $202,360.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 52,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,634,474.25. This trade represents a 7.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 45,152 shares of company stock worth $2,242,176. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

YUMC has been the topic of several research reports. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Yum China to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $48.70.

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.