Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) Position Increased by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in shares of Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) by 29.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 556,357 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 126,677 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Yum China were worth $26,800,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atria Investments Inc increased its stake in shares of Yum China by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 23,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,111,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Yum China by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in Yum China by 1.3% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 23,692 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,067,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management raised its holdings in Yum China by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 57,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,751,000 after buying an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 14,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $677,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Yum China 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 sale, the insider now owns 56,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,728,782.42. This trade represents a 6.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 382,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,021,879.47. This represents a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 45,152 shares of company stock valued at $2,242,176. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Yum China Stock Performance

NYSE:YUMC opened at $52.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.61 billion, a PE ratio of 22.37, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.35. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $28.50 and a 1 year 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.86.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Yum China’s payout ratio is 41.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Yum China from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

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.