Fayez Sarofim & Co Grows Holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Fayez Sarofim & Co boosted its stake in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 60,510 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,940 shares during the period. Fayez Sarofim & Co’s holdings in Yum China were worth $2,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in Yum China by 689.6% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new position in Yum China in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Yum China by 58.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Yum China in the 4th quarter valued at about $48,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total value of $1,851,796.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 382,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,021,879.47. This represents a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total value of $188,019.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,728,782.42. This represents a 6.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Yum China Stock Up 0.9 %

YUMC stock opened at $41.75 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $48.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.39. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.50 and a twelve 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. The stock has a market cap of $15.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.92, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.32.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.01). Yum China had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 13.83%. Research analysts expect that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were issued a $0.24 dividend. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on YUMC shares. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Yum China to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price 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.