Joey Wat Sells 104,000 Shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Stock

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.18, for a total transaction of $5,738,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 433,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,909,825.08. This represents a 19.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Joey Wat also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, February 11th, Joey Wat sold 4,613 shares of Yum China stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.01, for a total value of $262,987.13.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of NYSE YUMC opened at $55.33 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.32. Yum China has a fifty-two week low of $41.00 and a fifty-two week high of $58.39. The stock has a market cap of $20.00 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $50.01 and a 200-day moving average of $46.67.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.46% and a net margin of 7.87%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.30 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.25%.

Yum China announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Friday, December 12th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 5.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on YUMC. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Yum China from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $58.50 target price on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $63.64 price target on shares of Yum China in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, CLSA reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Yum China in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Yum China currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.05.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum China

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. Broad Peak Investment Advisers Pte Ltd bought a new position in Yum China in the third quarter worth about $27,679,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Yum China by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,734,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,196,000 after acquiring an additional 591,251 shares in the last quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 497,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,299,000 after purchasing an additional 23,096 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $883,687,000 after purchasing an additional 2,604,480 shares during the period. Finally, Magellan Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Yum China during the second quarter valued at approximately $18,482,000. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Company Profile

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.