Assetmark Inc. Acquires 61,316 Shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 53.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 175,944 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 61,316 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Yum China were worth $8,475,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in YUMC. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Yum China during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 43.9% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 846 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Yum China during the third quarter worth about $110,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky grew its position in Yum China by 1,374.5% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 2,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 2,749 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China in the 3rd quarter valued at about $139,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Trading Up 0.8 %

NYSE YUMC opened at $49.72 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.34, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.33. The business’s fifty day moving average is $46.67 and its 200-day moving average is $44.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $28.50 and a one year high of $52.00.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a $0.24 dividend. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total value of $188,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at $2,728,782.42. This trade represents a 6.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 382,657 shares in the company, valued at $19,021,879.47. The trade was a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

About Yum China

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.