Fox Run Management L.L.C. Buys 22,506 Shares of Yum China $YUMC

Fox Run Management L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 170.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 35,701 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,506 shares during the quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Yum China were worth $1,532,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. Broad Peak Investment Advisers Pte Ltd purchased a new position in Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,679,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings 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 valued at $203,196,000 after acquiring an additional 591,251 shares in the last quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA increased its position in Yum China by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 497,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,299,000 after purchasing an additional 23,096 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 2,604,480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Yum China by 21.5% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,150,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,303,326,000 after buying an additional 5,164,701 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on YUMC. CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. 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 reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 target price on shares of Yum China in a report 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Yum China has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.05.

Yum China Stock Up 1.4%

YUMC stock opened at $55.98 on Wednesday. Yum China has a 1-year low of $41.00 and a 1-year high of $58.39. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $50.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.05. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.46% and a net margin of 7.87%.The business had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.30 EPS. Yum China’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share 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 dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.25%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction on 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.14, for a total value of $165,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 915 shares in the company, valued at $50,453.10. The trade was a 76.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 111,613 shares of company stock worth $6,167,127. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

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.