BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Has $4.99 Million Holdings in Yum China $YUMC

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. decreased its holdings in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 46.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 116,235 shares of the company’s stock after selling 98,856 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Yum China were worth $4,989,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Yum China by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,150,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,303,326,000 after purchasing an additional 5,164,701 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Yum China by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $883,687,000 after purchasing an additional 2,604,480 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Yum China by 1.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,545,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,252,000 after buying an additional 158,607 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of Yum China by 13.1% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,509,000 after buying an additional 677,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Yum China by 14.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,734,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,196,000 after buying an additional 591,251 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum China news, insider Warton Wang sold 8,187 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.28, for a total value of $395,268.36. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,261,773.16. The trade was a 14.88% 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. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.18, for a total value of $5,738,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 433,306 shares in the company, valued at $23,909,825.08. The trade was a 19.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 124,688 shares of company stock worth $6,797,508. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on YUMC shares. CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 price target on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 price objective on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.05.

Yum China Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:YUMC opened at $54.61 on Friday. Yum China has a 52 week low of $41.00 and a 52 week high of $58.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $50.15 and its 200-day moving average is $46.72. The firm has a market cap of $19.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.14.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 14.46%. Yum China’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, December 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.25%.

Yum China Company Profile

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.