Caprock Group LLC Purchases Shares of 30,980 Yum China $YUMC

Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 30,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,385,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Yum China by 21.5% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $883,687,000 after acquiring an additional 2,604,480 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 677,928 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 591,251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Yum China during the 2nd quarter worth $201,814,000. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 4,888 shares of Yum China 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 sale, the insider owned 22,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,731. The trade was a 17.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 4,613 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.01, for a total transaction of $262,987.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 537,306 shares in the company, valued at $30,631,815.06. The trade was a 0.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 25,855 shares of company stock worth $1,306,804. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Yum China Stock Performance

Shares of YUMC stock opened at $55.42 on Friday. 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 $20.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.08, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company’s 50 day moving average is $49.48 and its 200 day moving average is $46.49.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its 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. The company had revenue of $2.82 billion during 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be given a $0.29 dividend. 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.25%.

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 generally an indication that the company’s management 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.