Bank of New York Mellon Corp Buys 137,060 Shares of Yum China $YUMC

Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 3.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,113,768 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 137,060 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 1.13% of Yum China worth $176,563,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Yum China by 21.5% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,150,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,303,326,000 after acquiring an additional 5,164,701 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Yum China by 13.1% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,509,000 after purchasing an additional 677,928 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Yum China by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,734,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,196,000 after purchasing an additional 591,251 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Yum China in the second quarter worth about $201,814,000. Finally, Waverton Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Yum China by 7.9% during the second quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 4,312,378 shares of the company’s stock valued at $192,785,000 after buying an additional 316,513 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Yum China in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 5,167 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total transaction of $248,016.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 56,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,716,896. This trade represents a 8.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 4,888 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.10, for a total value of $235,112.80. Following the sale, the insider owned 22,510 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,082,731. This represents a 17.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,242 shares of company stock worth $878,397. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $49.43 on Friday. Yum China has a twelve month low of $41.00 and a twelve month high of $53.99. The firm has a market cap of $17.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.76. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 7.81%.The firm had revenue of $3.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.77 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 2nd. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.83%.

Yum China announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Friday, December 12th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.