Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Stock Price Down 5.6% - Here's What Happened

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 5.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $42.39 and last traded at $42.27. Approximately 245,346 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 2,921,306 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.77.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Yum China from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Daiwa America upgraded Yum China to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $48.70.

Yum China Trading Down 1.3%

The company has a market cap of $16.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.27. The company's fifty day moving average is $45.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.78 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $2.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 13.83%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.71 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. Yum China's payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CTO Leila Zhang sold 4,000 shares of Yum China 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 completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 52,075 shares in the company, valued at $2,634,474.25. The trade was a 7.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the company's 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 directly owns 382,657 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,021,879.47. The trade was a 8.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Yum China

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 689.6% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in Yum China during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Yum China during the first quarter worth $29,000. SouthState Corp lifted its holdings in Yum China by 4,915.4% during the first quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 652 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.