Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Shares Gap Up Following Dividend Announcement

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock had previously closed at $45.52, but opened at $48.99. Yum China shares last traded at $48.65, with a volume of 182,736 shares changing hands.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This is a boost from Yum China's previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.00%. Yum China's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on YUMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Yum China from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $35.50 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com cut Yum China from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $49.57.

Yum China Stock Down 0.9 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $18.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $46.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.53.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 13.83% and a net margin of 8.06%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Yum China news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 6,377 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.47, for a total value of $302,716.19. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $789,948.27. The trade was a 27.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Yum China

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in Yum China in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Yum China by 43.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 846 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Yum China by 906.5% during the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 926 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 834 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Yum China by 58.5% in the 4th 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. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners increased its stake in Yum China by 56.9% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,571 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.58% of the company's stock.

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.