Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Yum China from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $35.50 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Four 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.57.

Yum China Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $49.13 on Monday. Yum China has a 12-month low of $28.50 and a 12-month high of $52.00. The company has a market cap of $18.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.17.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted 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 net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 13.83%. Equities research analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 6,377 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.47, for a total transaction of $302,716.19. Following the sale, the insider now owns 16,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $789,948.27. The trade was a 27.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum China

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Yum China during the third quarter worth about $281,000. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in Yum China by 22.0% during the third 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. Chicago Capital LLC bought a new stake in Yum China during the third quarter worth approximately $280,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in Yum China by 906.5% in the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 926 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 834 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carrhae Capital LLP bought a new position in shares of Yum China in the third quarter valued at $21,173,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Yum China

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.