Groupe la Francaise Acquires 140,713 Shares of Yum China $YUMC

Key Points

• Groupe la Francaise increased its holdings in Yum China by 215.1% in the first quarter, acquiring an additional 140,713 shares to reach a total of 206,117 shares worth approximately $10.96 million.
• Other institutional investors such as Mirae Asset Global Investments and JPMorgan Chase also significantly increased their positions in Yum China during the first quarter, with Mirae Asset's stake rising by 6,304.9%.
• Yum China announced a quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share to be paid on September 23rd, representing an annualized yield of 2.1%.

Groupe la Francaise grew its stake in Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Free Report) by 215.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 206,117 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 140,713 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise owned approximately 0.05% of Yum China worth $10,959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in shares of Yum China by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 24,859 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,197,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Yum China by 53.9% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 9,686 shares of the company's stock worth $467,000 after acquiring an additional 3,393 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Yum China by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,927,991 shares of the company's stock valued at $92,874,000 after purchasing an additional 56,979 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in Yum China during the 4th quarter valued at $475,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of YUMC traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $44.65. The stock had a trading volume of 498,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,559,575. Yum China has a 52 week low of $33.33 and a 52 week high of $53.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $45.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.41. The company has a market capitalization of $16.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.27.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.01. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.13% and a net margin of 8.04%.The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. Yum China's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Yum China's payout ratio is currently 39.67%.

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.