Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Stock: Insider Pingping Liu Sells 1,062 Shares

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) insider Pingping Liu sold 1,062 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.65, for a total value of $53,790.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 22,573 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,143,322.45. The trade was a 4.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $49.72 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $43.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.06. Yum China has a fifty-two week low of $39.72 and a fifty-two week high of $58.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.50 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 16.48% and a net margin of 7.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.76 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. Yum China’s payout ratio is currently 40.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on YUMC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Yum China from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.21.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new position in Yum China during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Yum China by 55.5% during the third quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 726 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobi Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum China during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

About Yum China

Yum China Holdings operates quick-service and casual-dining restaurants in China. Its portfolio includes KFC and Pizza Hut, along with local and regional brands such as Little Sheep and Huang Ji Huang. The company was separated from Yum! Brands in 2016 and became an independent, publicly traded company. Its restaurants serve a range of meals and beverages, including fried chicken, burgers, pizza, hot pot and other Chinese-style dishes, as well as coffee. Yum China also offers delivery and digital ordering services through its apps and other platforms.