Hanson & Doremus Investment Management Grows Position in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its stake in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 57,104 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 307 shares during the quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management’s holdings in Yum China were worth $2,751,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 7.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 12,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. raised its stake in Yum China by 2.4% in the second quarter. Coronation Fund Managers Ltd. now owns 240,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,420,000 after buying an additional 5,719 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China during the 2nd quarter worth about $945,000. Bard Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth about $459,000. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Yum China by 27.4% in the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 255,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,523,000 after acquiring an additional 55,000 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Yum China

In other Yum China news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 6,377 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $789,948.27. This trade represents a 27.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on YUMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Yum China from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $35.50 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.57.

Yum China Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Yum China stock opened at $45.61 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $17.32 billion, a PE ratio of 20.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $52.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $46.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.65.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. Yum China’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were paid a $0.16 dividend. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 26th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.32%.

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.