Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Grows Stock Holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 16.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 379,620 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,466 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.10% of Yum China worth $18,286,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Yum China by 58.5% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Yum China by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its holdings in Yum China by 1,374.5% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 2,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,000 after purchasing an additional 2,749 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $159,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of YUMC opened at $53.19 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $48.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.43. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.50 and a 12-month high of $53.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market cap of $20.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.35.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 13.83%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.20%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total value of $188,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 56,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,728,782.42. This trade represents a 6.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total transaction of $1,851,796.92. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Yum China Company 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.