Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Buys 404 Shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 74,363 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $3,582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Yum China by 58.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in Yum China by 1,374.5% in the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 2,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 2,749 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in Yum China during the fourth quarter worth about $202,000. Finally, Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China during the fourth quarter worth approximately $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Yum China news, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total transaction of $1,851,796.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 382,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,021,879.47. The trade was a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total value of $188,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,728,782.42. This trade represents 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 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Yum China Stock Performance

Yum China stock opened at $51.84 on Tuesday. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.50 and a 12-month high of $53.99. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.35.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Yum China’s payout ratio is presently 41.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Yum China Company Profile

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.