Earnest Partners LLC Decreases Holdings in Yum China $YUMC

Key Points

• Earnest Partners LLC reduced its stake in Yum China by 11.3%, selling 7,956 shares, and now holds 62,170 shares valued at approximately $3.24 million.
• Yum China has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share, with an annualized yield of 2.2% and a dividend payout ratio of 39.67%.
• In its most recent earnings report, Yum China posted $0.58 EPS, exceeding forecasts, with revenues hitting $2.79 billion, reflecting a 4% year-over-year increase.

Earnest Partners LLC lessened its stake in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Free Report) by 11.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,170 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,956 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC's holdings in Yum China were worth $3,237,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Yum China by 29.7% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 23,985,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,248,709,000 after buying an additional 5,485,735 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Yum China by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,076,822 shares of the company's stock worth $108,119,000 after acquiring an additional 171,643 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Yum China by 4,967.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 98,914 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,149,000 after purchasing an additional 96,962 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Yum China by 35.6% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,102,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $734,150,000 after purchasing an additional 3,704,756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 31,286 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 8,016 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Yum China Stock Up 0.4%

Yum China stock traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $44.75. 1,398,449 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,148,282. Yum China has a 52-week low of $33.33 and a 52-week high of $53.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The business's 50-day moving average price is $46.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.22.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.01. Yum China had a net margin of 8.04% and a return on equity of 14.13%. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Yum China's payout ratio is currently 39.67%.

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.