Bayforest Capital Ltd Sells 12,138 Shares of Yum China $YUMC

Bayforest Capital Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 71.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,832 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,138 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd’s holdings in Yum China were worth $231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $883,687,000 after buying an additional 2,604,480 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Yum China by 1.0% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,545,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $680,252,000 after purchasing an additional 158,607 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Yum China by 13.1% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,509,000 after purchasing an additional 677,928 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Yum China by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,971,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,317,000 after purchasing an additional 236,736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waverton Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in Yum China by 12.5% in the third quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 4,851,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,171,000 after purchasing an additional 539,531 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Yum China news, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.18, for a total transaction of $5,738,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 433,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,909,825.08. This trade represents a 19.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Xueling Lu sold 23,504 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.84, for a total transaction of $1,312,463.36. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $504,905.28. This represents a 72.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 135,117 shares of company stock valued at $7,479,590 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on YUMC shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $63.64 price target on shares of Yum China in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.05.

Yum China Price Performance

YUMC stock opened at $48.61 on Tuesday. Yum China has a 1 year low of $41.01 and a 1 year high of $58.39. The company has a market cap of $17.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.13 and a 200 day moving average of $48.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.05. Yum China had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. Yum China’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.91 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th were paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Yum China’s payout ratio is currently 46.22%.

Yum China 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.