Korea Investment CORP Purchases 15,400 Shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Korea Investment CORP lifted its holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 297,719 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,400 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP owned approximately 0.08% of Yum China worth $14,341,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Yum China during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Graney & King LLC acquired a new position in Yum China during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Yum China by 58.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Yum China by 32.7% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 1,374.5% in the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 2,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after acquiring an additional 2,749 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total transaction of $188,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,728,782.42. The trade was a 6.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CTO Leila Zhang sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total transaction of $202,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 52,075 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,634,474.25. This trade represents a 7.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:YUMC opened at $51.89 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.50 and a 1-year high of $53.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $48.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.73.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.01). Yum China had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 13.83%. Equities analysts predict that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a $0.24 dividend. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of 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.