Empowered Funds LLC Acquires New Holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 17,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $856,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of YUMC. American Capital Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Yum China by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 19,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $951,000 after purchasing an additional 3,567 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 892 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 16,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $793,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares during the period. Choreo LLC boosted its position in Yum China by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 4,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tranquilli Financial Advisor LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Yum China

In related news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 6,377 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.47, for a total value of $302,716.19. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 16,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $789,948.27. This trade represents a 27.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $49.13 on Tuesday. The firm 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.50 and a 52-week high of $52.00.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities analysts predict that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Yum China’s payout ratio is 27.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on YUMC. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Yum China from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $35.50 to $60.00 in a 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Yum China currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $49.57.

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.