KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Takes Position in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 121,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,838,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Yum China by 58.5% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Yum China by 32.7% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 1,374.5% during the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 2,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 2,749 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum China in the 4th quarter worth approximately $159,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Yum China

In other Yum China news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total transaction of $188,019.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at $2,728,782.42. This represents a 6.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CTO Leila Zhang sold 4,000 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total value of $202,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 52,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,634,474.25. This trade represents a 7.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 45,152 shares of company stock worth $2,242,176. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Yum China Stock Performance

NYSE YUMC opened at $51.27 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a PE ratio of 22.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.35. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.50 and a 52-week high of $53.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.34.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. This is a boost from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Yum China Profile

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.