Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) Position Decreased by Everstar Asset Management LLC

Everstar Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,824 shares of the company’s stock after selling 272 shares during the period. Everstar Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $281,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Yum China by 49.6% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,865,803 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,206,000 after purchasing an additional 2,609,494 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Yum China by 8.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 975,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,523,000 after acquiring an additional 76,406 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Yum China by 28.6% during the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 6,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 4,176.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,588,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,576,000 after acquiring an additional 3,505,053 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in Yum China by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 23,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,067,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total value of $188,019.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,728,782.42. This represents a 6.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total transaction of $1,851,796.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 382,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,021,879.47. The trade was a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of YUMC opened at $52.12 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $48.86 and its 200-day moving average is $46.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a market capitalization of $19.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.35. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $53.99.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by ($0.01). Yum China had a return on equity of 13.83% and a net margin of 8.06%. Equities research analysts expect that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Yum China’s payout ratio is 41.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

About Yum China

Yum China Holdings, Inc owns, operates, and franchises restaurants in the People's Republic of China. The company operates through KFC, Pizza Hut, and All Other segments. It operates restaurants under the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Lavazza, Little Sheep, and Huang Ji Huang concepts. The company also operates V-Gold Mall, a mobile e-commerce platform to sell products; and offers online food deliver services.