Yum China (YUMC) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.29 on December 22nd

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share on Tuesday, December 22nd. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st.

Yum China has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.3% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 5 years. Yum China has a dividend payout ratio of 40.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Yum China to earn $3.46 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.16 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 33.5%.

Yum China Stock Performance

Yum China stock opened at $49.71 on Thursday. Yum China has a twelve month low of $39.72 and a twelve month high of $58.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $17.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.26, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.06. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $43.34 and its 200 day moving average is $46.83.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Yum China had a return on equity of 16.49% and a net margin of 7.90%. The business had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.50 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.76 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Yum China will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 14,586 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.72, for a total transaction of $696,043.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 63,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,032,176.52. This represents a 18.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 24,096 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.08, for a total transaction of $1,134,439.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $357,290.12. This trade represents a 76.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Yum China

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in YUMC. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in shares of Yum China during the second quarter worth approximately $7,154,000. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,192,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China in the second quarter valued at approximately $18,090,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its stake in Yum China by 42.4% in the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 752,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,701,000 after purchasing an additional 224,060 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in Yum China in the first quarter worth approximately $8,453,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum China Company Profile

Yum China Holdings, Inc is a restaurant company focused on operating and developing quick-service and casual-dining brands in China. Headquartered in Shanghai, the company serves customers across mainland China through a large network of company-owned and franchised restaurants, supported by digital ordering, delivery and loyalty platforms.

Its principal brands include KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, for which Yum China holds the exclusive rights to operate and franchise restaurants in China.