LPL Financial LLC Acquires 10,276 Shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC - Free Report) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 119,053 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,276 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC's holdings in Yum China were worth $5,735,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Yum China in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 32.7% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,825 shares of the company's stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its holdings in Yum China by 1,374.5% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 2,949 shares of the company's stock worth $142,000 after purchasing an additional 2,749 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Yum China in the fourth quarter worth approximately $159,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.58% of the company's stock.

Yum China Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of YUMC traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $44.35. 5,686,498 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,915,738. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market cap of $16.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.32. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.58. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.50 and a 12-month high of $53.99.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 EPS 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%. Research analysts forecast that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. This is a boost from Yum China's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. Yum China's dividend payout ratio is 41.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on YUMC. Daiwa America upgraded Yum China to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut shares of Yum China from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $48.70.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction of $1,851,796.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 382,657 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,021,879.47. This trade represents a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 17th. The shares were 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 approximately $2,728,782.42. This trade represents a 6.45 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.