Short Interest in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) Decreases By 18.2%

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,970,000 shares, a decrease of 18.2% from the March 15th total of 10,960,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,820,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days. Currently, 2.5% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:YUMC traded down $2.62 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $41.33. 6,305,054 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,960,073. The company has a market cap of $15.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.74, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.46. 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 has a 1 year low of $28.50 and a 1 year high of $53.99.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (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 will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on YUMC shares. StockNews.com downgraded Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Daiwa America upgraded Yum China to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $48.70.

Insider Transactions at Yum China

In related news, CTO Leila Zhang sold 4,000 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total value of $202,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 52,075 shares in the company, valued at $2,634,474.25. This trade represents a 7.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total transaction of $188,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 56,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,728,782.42. This represents a 6.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Yum China

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Yum China by 689.6% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Yum China in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. CX Institutional acquired a new position in Yum China during the first quarter worth about $37,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Yum China by 58.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.