Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Wednesday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Yum China to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Yum China from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $35.50 to $60.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Macquarie upgraded shares of Yum China from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $30.00 to $37.40 in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $51.68.

Yum China Stock Up 3.1 %

YUMC stock opened at $49.82 on Wednesday. Yum China has a 52-week low of $28.50 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.36.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.09. Yum China had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The business had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is 28.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum China news, Director Robert Blaine Aiken, Jr. bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $33.74 per share, with a total value of $101,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,088 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $407,849.12. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Jeff Kuai acquired 3,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $32.72 per share, with a total value of $127,608.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 3,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $127,608. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert Blaine Aiken, Jr. acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.74 per share, with a total value of $101,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 12,088 shares in the company, valued at $407,849.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 18,400 shares of company stock valued at $619,671 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum China

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its stake in Yum China by 53.7% during the 2nd quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,088 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum China in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 43.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum China in the 1st quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 906.5% in the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Yum China

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.