BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Has $4.99 Million Stock Holdings in Yum China $YUMC

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. reduced its position in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) by 46.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 116,235 shares of the company’s stock after selling 98,856 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in Yum China were worth $4,989,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Yum China by 21.5% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,150,667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,303,326,000 after acquiring an additional 5,164,701 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in 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. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Yum China by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,545,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,252,000 after purchasing an additional 158,607 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Yum China by 13.1% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,509,000 after purchasing an additional 677,928 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Yum China by 14.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,734,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $203,196,000 after buying an additional 591,251 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Yum China

In other news, insider Jerry Ding sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.14, for a total transaction of $165,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 915 shares in the company, valued at $50,453.10. This trade represents a 76.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Warton Wang sold 8,187 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.28, for a total value of $395,268.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 46,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,261,773.16. The trade was a 14.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 124,688 shares of company stock valued at $6,797,508 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Performance

Shares of Yum China stock opened at $54.61 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $50.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Yum China has a 12 month low of $41.00 and a 12 month high of $58.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.14.

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

Yum China announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, December 12th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This is a positive change 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 payout ratio is presently 38.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Yum China 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.