Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) shares gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $46.59, but opened at $45.01. Yum China shares last traded at $44.96, with a volume of 372,560 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on YUMC shares. StockNews.com upgraded Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 21st. Citigroup upgraded shares of Yum China to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Yum China from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $35.50 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $49.57.

Yum China Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $47.86 and a 200 day moving average of $39.89. The company has a market cap of $17.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.09. Yum China had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Yum China’s payout ratio is 28.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Yum China news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 6,377 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.47, for a total transaction of $302,716.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 16,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $789,948.27. The trade was a 27.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum China

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Yum China by 43.9% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 140.3% in the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 870 shares during the last quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 28.6% during the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 2,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners boosted its position in shares of Yum China by 56.9% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Yum China Company 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.