State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Sells 44,110 Shares of Yum China $YUMC

Key Points

• State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D sold 44,110 shares of Yum China, cutting its stake by 15.6% to 239,214 shares (about $11.42 million), and institutional investors collectively own roughly 85.58% of the stock.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently: CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares and Xueling Lu sold 23,504, with insiders disposing of 135,117 shares worth $7.48 million in the past 90 days.
• Yum China reported Q results of $0.87 EPS (in line with estimates) and $3.27 billion revenue (above estimates, +9.7% YoY), and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.29 per share (annualized $1.16, ~2.4% yield; ex-dividend May 27, payable June 17).

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D decreased its holdings in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Free Report) by 15.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 239,214 shares of the company's stock after selling 44,110 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned about 0.07% of Yum China worth $11,420,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in YUMC. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD bought a new stake in Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $159,431,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 20,169,661 shares of the company's stock worth $883,687,000 after acquiring an additional 2,604,480 shares during the period. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Temasek Holdings Private Ltd now owns 4,654,717 shares of the company's stock worth $199,780,000 after acquiring an additional 932,859 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company's stock worth $262,509,000 after acquiring an additional 677,928 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,220,546 shares of the company's stock worth $96,655,000 after acquiring an additional 672,090 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of YUMC stock opened at $48.82 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $51.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Yum China has a 12 month low of $41.69 and a 12 month high of $58.39. The company has a market capitalization of $17.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.17.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.87. The business had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.21 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.98% and a net margin of 7.83%.Yum China's revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.92 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 27th. Yum China's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on YUMC. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $63.64 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $58.50 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Yum China in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Yum China from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Yum China has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $59.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Xueling Lu sold 23,504 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.84, for a total transaction of $1,312,463.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,042 shares in the company, valued at $504,905.28. This trade represents a 72.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.18, for a total value of $5,738,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 433,306 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,909,825.08. This trade represents a 19.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 135,117 shares of company stock worth $7,479,590 in the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Yum China Company Profile

Yum China Holdings, Inc operates as the largest quick-service restaurant company in China, through its ownership and franchising of brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. The company's core business encompasses full-service and fast‐casual dining, takeout and delivery channels, as well as ancillary services including loyalty programs and digital ordering platforms. Yum China's restaurants offer a diverse menu that adapts global brand concepts to local consumer preferences, featuring items such as soy‐marinated chicken, customized pizzas and region‐inspired side dishes.

In addition to its signature brands, Yum China has expanded its portfolio to include innovative concepts tailored to evolving market trends, such as plant‐based offerings, self‐service kiosks and mobile app integrations.

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