Yum China $YUMC Shares Acquired by Citigroup Inc.

Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 40.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 350,834 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 101,676 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.10% of Yum China worth $15,058,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BNP Paribas boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 1.6% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 15,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Everstar Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Yum China by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Everstar Asset Management LLC now owns 5,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Yum China by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its position in Yum China by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 46,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,076,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other Yum China news, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 433,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,909,825.08. The trade was a 19.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.14, for a total value of $165,420.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,453.10. This represents a 76.63% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 135,117 shares of company stock worth $7,479,590 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $54.89 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.15. Yum China has a 52 week low of $41.00 and a 52 week high of $58.39. The stock has a market cap of $19.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.32.

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

Yum China announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Friday, December 12th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Yum China Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $63.64 target price 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 target price on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.05.

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.