Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Stake Boosted by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Free Report) by 1.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,185,305 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 56,288 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 1.12% of Yum China worth $217,887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum China in the first quarter worth about $29,000. CX Institutional acquired a new position in shares of Yum China in the first quarter worth about $37,000. Graney & King LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum China in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Goodman Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Yum China in the first quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Daiwa America upgraded Yum China to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Yum China presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $48.70.

Yum China Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:YUMC traded up $0.51 during trading on Thursday, hitting $47.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 692,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,858,866. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $44.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.28. Yum China has a fifty-two week low of $28.50 and a fifty-two week high of $53.99. The company has a market capitalization of $17.64 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.26.

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). Yum China had a net margin of 8.09% and a return on equity of 14.08%. The firm had revenue of $2.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.71 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th were paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 28th. Yum China's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Yum China 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.