Yum China $YUMC Shares Purchased by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 13.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 140,575 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,689 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Yum China were worth $6,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in Yum China by 13.8% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,289 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,108,000 after acquiring an additional 2,582 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Yum China in the 1st quarter valued at $99,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 217,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,736,000 after purchasing an additional 3,900 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of Yum China during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 20.5% during the second quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 118,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,312,000 after purchasing an additional 20,192 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

YUMC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Yum China in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $63.64 price target on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $58.50 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a report 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other Yum China news, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the company’s 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 directly owned 915 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,453.10. This represents a 76.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.18, for a total value of $5,738,720.00. Following 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 135,117 shares of company stock valued at $7,479,590 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE YUMC opened at $51.88 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $18.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.11. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Yum China has a 52 week low of $41.00 and a 52 week high of $58.39.

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

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.22%.

Yum China declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Friday, December 12th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Yum China Company 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.