What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for Yum China Q1 Earnings?

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) – Zacks Research cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Yum China in a report issued on Wednesday, March 26th. Zacks Research analyst H. Ray now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.78 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.79. The consensus estimate for Yum China’s current full-year earnings is $2.54 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Yum China’s Q3 2025 earnings at $0.77 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.51 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.94 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.90 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $3.31 EPS.

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

Yum China Price Performance

Yum China stock opened at $51.89 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $19.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.27, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $48.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.64. Yum China has a 12-month low of $28.50 and a 12-month high of $53.99.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.01). Yum China had a return on equity of 13.83% and a net margin of 8.06%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Yum China

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Yum China by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 28,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 7,258 shares in the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new stake in Yum China during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,903,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Yum China in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,445,000. RedJay Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Yum China in the fourth quarter worth $6,021,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Yum China by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 588,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,351,000 after acquiring an additional 13,215 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Yum China

In related news, insider Jeff Kuai sold 3,900 shares of Yum China stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 17th. The shares were 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Joey Wat sold 37,252 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.71, for a total value of $1,851,796.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 382,657 shares in the company, valued at $19,021,879.47. This trade represents a 8.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 45,152 shares of company stock worth $2,242,176. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend yield of 1.85%. This is an increase from Yum China’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. Yum China’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.20%.

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.