Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Sells 61,134 Shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 25.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 181,245 shares of the company’s stock after selling 61,134 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Yum China were worth $7,690,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Yum China Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:YUMC traded up $0.25 on Thursday, hitting $39.05. 2,371,657 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,453,514. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.24. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.45. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.55 and a 12 month high of $64.50.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 11.63% and a net margin of 7.53%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.13 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 5th were issued a $0.16 dividend. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 4th. Yum China’s payout ratio is presently 32.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. HSBC decreased their price target on Yum China from $66.80 to $51.30 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $38.00 price target (down from $65.00) on shares of Yum China in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Yum China currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.65.

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.