Pinebridge Investments L.P. Grows Stake in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

Pinebridge Investments L.P. grew its stake in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC - Free Report) by 45.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 394,700 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 123,150 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments L.P. owned 0.10% of Yum China worth $19,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of YUMC. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Yum China by 49.6% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,865,803 shares of the company's stock valued at $356,206,000 after acquiring an additional 2,609,494 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Yum China in the 3rd quarter valued at $459,000. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth $868,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth $229,000. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp acquired a new position in Yum China in the third quarter valued at $944,000. 85.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of Yum China stock traded up $1.19 on Monday, hitting $46.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,000,601 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,966,075. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $48.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.34. The company has a market capitalization of $17.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.32. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.50 and a 52-week high of $53.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This is a boost from Yum China's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. Yum China's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.20%.

Insider Activity at Yum China

In other Yum China news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.21, for a total value of $188,019.00. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 382,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,021,879.47. The trade was a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on YUMC shares. StockNews.com lowered 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 report on Wednesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Yum China presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $48.70.

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.