Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Sunday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded Yum China from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.05.

Yum China Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE YUMC opened at $42.84 on Friday. Yum China has a 1-year low of $41.69 and a 1-year high of $58.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $47.10 and a 200-day moving average of $49.25. The firm has a market cap of $14.96 billion, a PE ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.09.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87. Yum China had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 7.83%.The company had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. Yum China’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in YUMC. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Yum China in the fourth quarter worth about $280,656,000. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 112.0% during the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 7,854,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,959,000 after acquiring an additional 4,148,966 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Yum China by 8.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,957,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,039,945,000 after acquiring an additional 1,787,450 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in Yum China by 132.4% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,759,348 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,827,000 after buying an additional 1,002,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Temasek Holdings Private Ltd raised its stake in Yum China by 25.1% in the third quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 4,654,717 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,780,000 after buying an additional 932,859 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

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.