Yum China $YUMC Shares Sold by Aberdeen Group plc

Aberdeen Group plc reduced its holdings in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 40.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,861 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,377 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Yum China were worth $948,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Yum China by 14.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $883,687,000 after acquiring an additional 2,604,480 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Yum China by 1.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,545,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $680,252,000 after acquiring an additional 158,607 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 677,928 shares during the last quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Yum China by 12.5% during the third quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 4,851,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,171,000 after acquiring an additional 539,531 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 591,251 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Yum China Stock Performance

Shares of YUMC opened at $50.21 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $52.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.48. Yum China has a 52-week low of $41.00 and a 52-week high of $58.39. The firm has a market cap of $17.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.05. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 7.87%.The company had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 EPS. Yum China’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Friday, December 12th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other Yum China news, 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 transaction of $5,738,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 433,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,909,825.08. This trade represents a 19.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 135,117 shares of company stock valued at $7,479,590 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

YUMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 price target on shares of Yum China in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 target price on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Yum China has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.05.

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.