Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

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

YUMC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Yum China from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $35.50 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Macquarie raised Yum China from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $30.00 to $37.40 in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Yum China to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $51.68.

Yum China Price Performance

YUMC stock opened at $51.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Yum China has a 1 year low of $28.50 and a 1 year high of $52.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.36. The business’s 50-day moving average is $41.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.76.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.09. Yum China had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 7.97%. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Yum China

In other news, insider Jeff Kuai acquired 3,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $32.72 per share, with a total value of $127,608.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 3,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $127,608. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Yum China news, CEO Joey Wat bought 3,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $33.98 per share, with a total value of $129,124.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 272,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,274,637.12. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jeff Kuai purchased 3,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $32.72 per share, for a total transaction of $127,608.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 3,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $127,608. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 18,400 shares of company stock worth $619,671. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum China

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in YUMC. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 43.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 846 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Yum China by 4.4% in the first quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 1.2% in the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 25,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $791,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 12.1% in the second quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 3,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 53.7% in the second quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,088 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

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.