American Century Companies Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Yum China $YUMC

American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 9.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 853,669 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 76,737 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of Yum China worth $36,639,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in Yum China by 3.3% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 10,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in Yum China by 14,023,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 140,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,019,000 after acquiring an additional 140,234 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in Yum China by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 164,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,068,000 after purchasing an additional 19,671 shares in the last quarter. DNB Asset Management AS boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 4.8% during the third quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 32,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,375,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC grew its position in Yum China by 294.4% during the third quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 8,471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $364,000 after acquiring an additional 6,323 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Yum China

In other news, insider Xueling Lu sold 23,504 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.84, for a total value of $1,312,463.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 9,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $504,905.28. This trade represents a 72.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of Yum China 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 owned 915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,453.10. This represents a 76.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 135,117 shares of company stock valued at $7,479,590. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Yum China Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $51.88 on Friday. Yum China has a 12-month low of $41.00 and a 12-month high of $58.39. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $51.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.41. The company has a market cap of $18.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 7.87%.The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.30 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 2.2%. Yum China’s payout ratio is presently 46.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on YUMC shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research report 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. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $63.64 price target on shares of Yum China in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $58.50 target price on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, CLSA restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Yum China in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Yum China has a consensus 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.