Driehaus Capital Management LLC Invests $66.52 Million in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Driehaus Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,381,026 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $66,524,000. Driehaus Capital Management LLC owned about 0.36% of Yum China as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of YUMC. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Yum China by 689.6% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in Yum China during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Graney & King LLC purchased a new stake in Yum China during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Yum China during the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum China Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Yum China stock traded up $0.16 on Tuesday, reaching $46.27. The company had a trading volume of 710,463 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,923,358. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.50 and a 52-week high of $53.99. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $47.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.34. 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 firm has a market cap of $17.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.27.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.78 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.13 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 13.83% and a net margin of 8.06%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.71 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Yum China's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Yum China from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Yum China to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $48.70.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total value of $1,851,796.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 382,657 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,021,879.47. The trade was a 8.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at $2,728,782.42. This represents a 6.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

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.