Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Buys 4,583 Shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 100.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,154 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,583 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in YUMC. Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at $331,000. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at $256,000. Capital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at $281,000. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of Yum China by 22.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,446,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,119,000 after purchasing an additional 260,493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at $280,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Yum China from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $35.50 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $49.57.

Yum China Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $49.13 on Monday. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.50 and a 52 week high of $52.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.17. 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 company has a market cap of $18.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.33.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.01). Yum China had a return on equity of 13.83% and a net margin of 8.06%. Research analysts anticipate that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.95%. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 6,377 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.47, for a total transaction of $302,716.19. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 16,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $789,948.27. This trade represents a 27.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Yum China 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.