Yum China $YUMC Shares Acquired by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,120,887 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 339,552 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Yum China were worth $87,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new stake in Yum China in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new stake in Yum China during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Yum China during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Aberdeen Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Yum China during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum China in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of YUMC traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $45.13. 1,851,487 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,622,700. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Yum China has a 52 week low of $39.72 and a 52 week high of $58.39. The company has a market cap of $15.46 billion, a PE ratio of 16.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.83.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.03. Yum China had a return on equity of 15.82% and a net margin of 7.84%. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.58 earnings per share. Yum China’s revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 27th were given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 27th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Yum China in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Yum China currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.21.

Insider Transactions at Yum China

In related news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.08, for a total transaction of $1,134,439.68. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $357,290.12. This represents a 76.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 14,586 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.72, for a total transaction of $696,043.92. Following the sale, the insider owned 63,541 shares in the company, valued at $3,032,176.52. The trade was a 18.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Yum China Company Profile

Yum China Holdings, Inc is a restaurant company that operates and franchises quick-service and casual-dining restaurants in China. Its portfolio includes KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Lavasa, Huang Ji Huang, COFFii&JOY and East Dawning, offering products such as fried chicken, pizza, Mexican-inspired food, coffee and traditional Chinese cuisine.

KFC China and Pizza Hut China are the company’s principal brands, serving customers through restaurants, delivery and digital ordering channels.