Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) Upgraded to "Buy" at StockNews.com

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Yum China from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $35.50 to $60.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup raised Yum China to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $49.57.

Yum China Price Performance

Shares of NYSE YUMC traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $48.58. 2,855,577 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,144,488. The stock has a market cap of $18.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.50, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.36. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $47.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.02. 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 has a one year low of $28.50 and a one year high of $52.00.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Yum China had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Duoduo (Howard) Huang sold 6,377 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.47, for a total transaction of $302,716.19. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $789,948.27. The trade was a 27.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum China

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tyro Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum China in the 3rd quarter worth about $10,086,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Yum China by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,804,882 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,023,000 after acquiring an additional 79,048 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $944,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $229,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $868,000. 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.