Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) Shares Sold by Everstar Asset Management LLC

Everstar Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,824 shares of the company’s stock after selling 272 shares during the quarter. Everstar Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $281,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $243,901,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China during the fourth quarter worth $203,179,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Yum China in the 4th quarter worth about $199,722,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 4,176.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,588,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,576,000 after buying an additional 3,505,053 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Yum China by 399.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,727,549 shares of the company’s stock valued at $179,556,000 after buying an additional 2,980,589 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Performance

Shares of YUMC opened at $52.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $48.86 and a 200-day moving average of $46.86. The company has a market cap of $19.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.29. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.50 and a 1 year high of $53.99.

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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a $0.24 dividend. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In related news, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total transaction of $1,851,796.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 382,657 shares in the company, valued at $19,021,879.47. This trade represents a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 56,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,728,782.42. This trade represents a 6.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% 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.