Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) Receives $48.70 Consensus PT from Analysts

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Strong Buy” from the four brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $48.70.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Yum China to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th.

Insider Activity at Yum China

In other Yum China news, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total value of $1,851,796.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 382,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,021,879.47. This trade represents a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total transaction of $188,019.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 56,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,728,782.42. The trade was a 6.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum China

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Yum China by 689.6% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in Yum China during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. CX Institutional bought a new position in Yum China in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Yum China by 58.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE:YUMC opened at $43.88 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Yum China has a one year low of $28.50 and a one year high of $53.99. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $47.56.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by ($0.01). Yum China had a return on equity of 13.83% and a net margin of 8.06%. As a group, analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Yum China’s payout ratio is currently 41.20%.

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.