Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Stock Position in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 8,671.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 113,152 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 111,862 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Yum China were worth $5,450,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Yum China in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Yum China by 43.9% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners lifted its stake in Yum China by 56.9% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth about $103,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at about $110,000. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $49.28 on Wednesday. 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.30. The firm has a market cap of $18.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.33. 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 net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 13.83%. Equities analysts predict that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 6,377 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 16,641 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $789,948.27. The trade was a 27.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total value of $188,019.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at $2,728,782.42. This represents a 6.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.