Korea Investment CORP Invests $11.75 Million in Yum China $YUMC

Korea Investment CORP acquired a new position in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 288,419 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,754,000. Korea Investment CORP owned about 0.08% of Yum China at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. Ashoka WhiteOak Capital Pte Ltd raised its position in Yum China by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Ashoka WhiteOak Capital Pte Ltd now owns 28,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,342,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Glenview Trust Co raised its holdings in Yum China by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Glenview Trust Co now owns 4,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp raised its holdings in Yum China by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 68,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,247,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the period. Biltmore Family Office LLC lifted its position in Yum China by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Biltmore Family Office LLC now owns 7,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. lifted its position in Yum China by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 8,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on YUMC. Wall Street Zen upgraded Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Yum China from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Yum China presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Yum China news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.08, for a total transaction of $1,134,439.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $357,290.12. This trade represents a 76.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 14,586 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.72, for a total transaction of $696,043.92. Following the sale, the insider owned 63,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,032,176.52. The trade was a 18.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Yum China Stock Down 1.4%

YUMC opened at $48.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $16.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $44.59 and its 200 day moving average is $47.84. Yum China has a fifty-two week low of $40.15 and a fifty-two week high of $58.39.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.03. Yum China had a return on equity of 15.82% and a net margin of 7.84%.The business had revenue of $3.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 27th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.49%.

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.