ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC Invests $2.18 Million in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC)

ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC bought a new stake in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 51,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,183,000. Yum China makes up about 2.1% of ABS Direct Equity Fund LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Yum China during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Yum China during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Yum China during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Yum China in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Yum China Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:YUMC traded up $1.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $38.41. 2,641,858 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,971,875. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The business’s 50 day moving average is $39.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.46. Yum China Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $33.55 and a one year high of $64.50.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 29th. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 11.65% and a net margin of 7.49%. Yum China’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Yum China Holdings, Inc. will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum China Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 28th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, HSBC decreased their price objective on Yum China from $66.80 to $51.30 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Yum China currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.65.

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.