Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Raised to Strong-Buy at Daiwa America

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Daiwa America to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Yum China from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $48.70.

Yum China Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of YUMC stock traded down $0.67 on Wednesday, reaching $44.49. 3,986,900 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,936,939. Yum China has a twelve month low of $28.50 and a twelve month 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 capitalization of $16.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.32. The business's 50 day moving average price is $49.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.60.

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Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by ($0.01). Yum China had a net margin of 8.06% and a return on equity of 13.83%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total value of $188,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 56,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,728,782.42. This trade represents a 6.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total value of $1,851,796.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 382,657 shares in the company, valued at $19,021,879.47. This trade represents a 8.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 45,152 shares of company stock worth $2,242,176. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Yum China

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of YUMC. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 689.6% during the 4th 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. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in Yum China in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. CX Institutional acquired a new position in shares of Yum China during the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Graney & King LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Yum China in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Yum China by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 878 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

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.