J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Sells 42,169 Shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC)

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG reduced its stake in Yum China by 60.8%, selling 42,169 shares and now holding 27,231 shares valued at $1,418,000.
• Other hedge funds have also adjusted their holdings, with LPL Financial LLC increasing its position by 9.4% and Aviva PLC boosting its stake by 26.9% in the last quarter.
• Daiwa America upgraded Yum China to a "strong-buy" rating, with the stock currently holding a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $48.70.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG decreased its position in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Free Report) by 60.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,231 shares of the company's stock after selling 42,169 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Yum China were worth $1,418,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in Yum China by 689.6% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Goodman Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the first quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 121.4% during the first quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 912 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Daiwa America raised Yum China to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Yum China has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $48.70.

Yum China Stock Down 6.1%

Shares of YUMC traded down $2.84 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $43.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,118,683 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,618,590. The company has a fifty day moving average of $45.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.51. Yum China has a twelve month low of $32.00 and a twelve month high of $53.99. The company has a market cap of $16.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.80 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.08% and a net margin of 8.09%. The firm's revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Yum China's dividend payout ratio is 40.17%.

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.