Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Invests $7.90 Million in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new position in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 163,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,903,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Yum China during the 4th quarter worth $46,445,000. RedJay Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Yum China during the 4th quarter worth $6,021,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Yum China by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 588,561 shares of the company's stock worth $28,351,000 after purchasing an additional 13,215 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Yum China during the 4th quarter worth $6,486,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in Yum China by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 758,657 shares of the company's stock worth $36,545,000 after acquiring an additional 97,360 shares in the last quarter. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum China Trading Up 0.6%

YUMC traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $43.93. 2,342,406 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,918,832. The firm's fifty day moving average is $45.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.00. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.50 and a 1-year high of $53.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market cap of $16.40 billion, a PE ratio of 18.85, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.27.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.13 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 13.83%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.71 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 28th. Yum China's payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total value of $1,851,796.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 382,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,021,879.47. This trade represents a 8.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CTO Leila Zhang sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.59, for a total value of $202,360.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 52,075 shares in the company, valued at $2,634,474.25. This trade represents a 7.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

YUMC has been the topic of several research reports. Daiwa America raised Yum China to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered Yum China from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $48.70.

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.