Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) Shares Purchased by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 58,633 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,350 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $2,488,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum China during the third quarter valued at $27,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Yum China during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Yum China during the first quarter valued at $44,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum China during the third quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum China during the third quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Performance

YUMC stock opened at $37.22 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.58. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.55 and a fifty-two week high of $64.50. The company has a market capitalization of $14.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.99, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.45.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.12. Yum China had a net margin of 7.53% and a return on equity of 11.63%. The firm had revenue of $2.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.13 earnings per share. Yum China’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 5th were given a $0.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 4th. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. Yum China’s payout ratio is 32.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

YUMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $38.00 price target (down previously from $65.00) on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, January 4th. HSBC reduced their price objective on shares of Yum China from $66.80 to $51.30 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Yum China has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.65.

About Yum China

Yum China Holdings, Inc owns, operates, and franchises restaurants in the People's Republic of China. The company operates through KFC, Pizza Hut, and All Other segments. It operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Lavazza, Little Sheep, and Huang Ji Huang concepts. The company also operates V-Gold Mall, a mobile e-commerce platform to sell products; and offers online food deliver services.