Pictet North America Advisors SA Increases Holdings in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Pictet North America Advisors SA lifted its position in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 35.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 507,658 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 132,977 shares during the quarter. Yum China comprises 2.3% of Pictet North America Advisors SA’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Pictet North America Advisors SA owned approximately 0.13% of Yum China worth $22,785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its holdings in Yum China by 413.0% in the first quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 44,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,763,000 after purchasing an additional 35,663 shares during the period. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Yum China in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,474,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its holdings in Yum China by 40.8% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 987,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,302,000 after purchasing an additional 286,307 shares during the period. Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Yum China by 27.4% in the third quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 255,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,523,000 after purchasing an additional 55,000 shares during the period. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in Yum China by 15.3% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 127,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,081,000 after purchasing an additional 16,981 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum China Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:YUMC opened at $43.62 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $38.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.00 billion, a PE ratio of 21.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.50 and a 1 year high of $53.83.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.76 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 12.41% and a net margin of 7.61%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 27th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup raised Yum China to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Macquarie raised Yum China from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $30.00 to $37.40 in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Yum China

In other Yum China news, Director Robert Blaine Aiken, Jr. purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $33.74 per share, with a total value of $101,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 12,088 shares in the company, valued at approximately $407,849.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Warton Wang bought 3,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $34.67 per share, with a total value of $128,279.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 25,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $867,547.41. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Blaine Aiken, Jr. bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.74 per share, for a total transaction of $101,220.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 12,088 shares in the company, valued at $407,849.12. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 18,400 shares of company stock worth $619,671 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.