Yum China $YUMC Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its position in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 22.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 648,597 shares of the company’s stock after selling 192,292 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.18% of Yum China worth $27,838,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Yum China by 26.7% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Yum China by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas boosted its position in shares of Yum China by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 15,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $694,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Everstar Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Yum China by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Everstar Asset Management LLC now owns 5,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Yum China by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 2,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on YUMC shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. CLSA restated an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Yum China currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $55.00.

Yum China Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:YUMC opened at $47.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.14. Yum China has a 52-week low of $41.00 and a 52-week high of $53.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $47.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.76. The business had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 7.81%.The company’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.77 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 2nd. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.83%.

Yum China declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Friday, December 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In related news, insider Warton Wang sold 8,187 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.28, for a total transaction of $395,268.36. Following the transaction, the insider owned 46,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,261,773.16. This trade represents a 14.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 5,167 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total value of $248,016.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 56,602 shares in the company, valued at $2,716,896. This trade represents a 8.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 18,242 shares of company stock worth $878,397. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Yum China

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.