KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires New Holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 121,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,838,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Yum China by 49.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,865,803 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,206,000 after purchasing an additional 2,609,494 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Yum China by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,659 shares of the company’s stock valued at $570,000 after buying an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 8.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 975,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,523,000 after buying an additional 76,406 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in shares of Yum China by 19.6% during the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 16,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $749,000 after acquiring an additional 2,726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 10.0% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 60,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,719,000 after acquiring an additional 5,500 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Yum China news, CTO Leila Zhang sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total value of $202,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 52,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,634,474.25. This trade represents a 7.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total value of $1,851,796.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,152 shares of company stock worth $2,242,176. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Yum China Stock Performance

YUMC stock opened at $51.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $19.28 billion, a PE ratio of 22.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $48.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.34. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.50 and a 1-year high of $53.99.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.20%.

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.