Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the four research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $59.0467.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 target price on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 price target on shares of Yum China in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Yum China from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd.

Yum China Price Performance

YUMC opened at $45.39 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $15.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.39, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.13. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.38. Yum China has a 12-month low of $41.69 and a 12-month high of $58.39.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.87. The business had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.21 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.83% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.77 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 27th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other news, insider Xueling Lu sold 23,504 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.84, for a total transaction of $1,312,463.36. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,042 shares in the company, valued at $504,905.28. This trade represents a 72.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Yum China by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 22,606,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,111,135,000 after purchasing an additional 649,629 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Yum China by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,545,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,252,000 after purchasing an additional 158,607 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Yum China by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,135,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $531,593,000 after buying an additional 167,868 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox increased its stake in Yum China by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,553,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $408,366,000 after purchasing an additional 33,100 shares during the period. Finally, Mondrian Investment Partners LTD increased its stake in Yum China by 112.0% during the 4th quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 7,854,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,959,000 after buying an additional 4,148,966 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Yum China

Yum China Holdings, Inc operates as the largest quick-service restaurant company in China, through its ownership and franchising of brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. The company’s core business encompasses full-service and fast?casual dining, takeout and delivery channels, as well as ancillary services including loyalty programs and digital ordering platforms. Yum China’s restaurants offer a diverse menu that adapts global brand concepts to local consumer preferences, featuring items such as soy?marinated chicken, customized pizzas and region?inspired side dishes.

In addition to its signature brands, Yum China has expanded its portfolio to include innovative concepts tailored to evolving market trends, such as plant?based offerings, self?service kiosks and mobile app integrations.