Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also commented on YUMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Yum China from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $35.50 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup raised Yum China to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $49.57.

Yum China Stock Performance

Shares of YUMC opened at $48.58 on Friday. Yum China has a 1 year low of $28.50 and a 1 year high of $52.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.45 billion, a PE ratio of 21.50, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.04.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.09. Yum China had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The company had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.59 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Yum China will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other Yum China news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 6,377 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 16,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $789,948.27. The trade was a 27.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum China

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of YUMC. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Yum China by 43.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in shares of Yum China by 1.2% in the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 25,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $791,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 1.3% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 23,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 2.6% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $570,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Finally, Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its position in Yum China by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 3,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.