Allianz Asset Management GmbH Trims Holdings in Yum China $YUMC

Allianz Asset Management GmbH trimmed its stake in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 33.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 63,718 shares of the company’s stock after selling 32,406 shares during the quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Yum China were worth $2,735,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Yum China by 4.7% in the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,106 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas lifted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 1.6% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 15,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Everstar Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Yum China by 5.3% in the second quarter. Everstar Asset Management LLC now owns 5,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 283 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its position in shares of Yum China by 0.7% during the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 46,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,076,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity at Yum China

In other news, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 4,888 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.10, for a total transaction of $235,112.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,082,731. This represents a 17.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 21,242 shares of company stock valued at $1,043,817 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Performance

YUMC stock opened at $56.13 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.38. Yum China has a one year low of $41.00 and a one year 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 has a market cap of $20.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.36, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.14.

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

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. 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%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is 38.25%.

Yum China announced that its board has approved a share 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 buy up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.