Handelsbanken Fonder AB Raises Position in Yum China $YUMC

Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 9.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 183,271 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,100 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.05% of Yum China worth $7,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Yum China during the 4th quarter valued at about $280,656,000. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 112.0% in the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 7,854,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,959,000 after buying an additional 4,148,966 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,957,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,039,945,000 after buying an additional 1,787,450 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Yum China by 132.4% during the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,759,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,827,000 after acquiring an additional 1,002,313 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of Yum China by 1,727.2% during the 1st quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 779,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,027,000 after acquiring an additional 736,900 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 14,586 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.72, for a total transaction of $696,043.92. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 63,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,032,176.52. This represents a 18.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Yum China Trading Down 1.4%

YUMC opened at $47.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.01. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $43.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.93. Yum China has a one year low of $40.15 and a one year high of $58.39. The stock has a market cap of $16.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.09.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 15.73%. The company’s revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 27th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 27th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

YUMC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Yum China from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.21.

Yum China Company 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.