Short Interest in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) Increases By 22.2%

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC – Get Rating) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 8,960,000 shares, a growth of 22.2% from the May 15th total of 7,330,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,900,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 2.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Yum China in a research note on Thursday, March 31st. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

Shares of NYSE:YUMC opened at $40.45 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.33, a PEG ratio of 6.69 and a beta of 0.66. Yum China has a 12-month low of $33.55 and a 12-month high of $67.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 3rd. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $2.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.60 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 5.38%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Yum China will post 0.77 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 31st will be issued a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 27th. Yum China’s payout ratio is currently 24.12%.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of YUMC. Cornerstone Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Mystic Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Focused Wealth Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Nauset Wealth Management. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Ahrens Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Yum China during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. 80.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Yum China (Get Rating)

Yum China Holdings, Inc owns, operates, and franchises restaurants in China. The company operates through two segments, KFC and Pizza Hut. It operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Little Sheep, Huang Ji Huang, Lavazza, COFFii & JOY, Taco Bell, and East Dawning brands, which specialize in chicken, pizza, hot pot cooking, simmer pot, Italian coffee, specialty coffee, Mexican-style food, and Chinese food categories.

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