Yum China $YUMC Shares Purchased by Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 528,300 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 40,600 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Yum China were worth $22,674,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,150,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,303,326,000 after buying an additional 5,164,701 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 14.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $883,687,000 after buying an additional 2,604,480 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Yum China by 1.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,545,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $680,252,000 after acquiring an additional 158,607 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Yum China by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,509,000 after acquiring an additional 677,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waverton Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in Yum China by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 4,851,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,171,000 after purchasing an additional 539,531 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Price Performance

Yum China stock opened at $52.31 on Wednesday. Yum China has a 12 month low of $41.00 and a 12 month high of $58.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.29.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.05. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.46% and a net margin of 7.87%.The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Yum China’s payout ratio is 38.25%.

Yum China declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Friday, December 12th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on YUMC. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $63.64 target price on shares of Yum China in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.50 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, CLSA restated an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Yum China presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.14, for a total transaction of $165,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 915 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,453.10. This trade represents a 76.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Xueling Lu sold 23,504 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.84, for a total transaction of $1,312,463.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $504,905.28. The trade was a 72.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 135,117 shares of company stock worth $7,479,590. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Profile

Yum China Holdings, Inc operates as the largest quick-service restaurant company in China, through its ownership and franchising of brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. The company’s core business encompasses full-service and fast‐casual dining, takeout and delivery channels, as well as ancillary services including loyalty programs and digital ordering platforms. Yum China’s restaurants offer a diverse menu that adapts global brand concepts to local consumer preferences, featuring items such as soy‐marinated chicken, customized pizzas and region‐inspired side dishes.

In addition to its signature brands, Yum China has expanded its portfolio to include innovative concepts tailored to evolving market trends, such as plant‐based offerings, self‐service kiosks and mobile app integrations.