Here’s why we love spinoffs

Article Excerpt

Yum Brands is a powerful example of why we strongly believe in the potential of spinoffs. In November 2016, the company spun off its Chinese operations as Yum China. Investors then received one share of the new firm for each Yum Brands share they held. Since the split, Yum Brands has jumped 93%, while Yum China is up 69%. Even after those gains, we see plenty of room for both stocks to move higher. Yum Brands should continue to benefit from expanding home delivery services and other innovations. Its stake in food-delivery service GrubHub is also an overlooked asset. For Yum China, operating as a separate company lets it quickly respond to changing local tastes. Moreover, it imports few U.S. products, so it has little exposure to Chinese tariffs. YUM! BRANDS INC. $117 (New York symbol YUM; Consumer Sector; Shares outstanding: 304.3 million; Market cap: $35.6 billion; Dividend yield: 1.4%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.yum.com) operates 48,769 restaurants in over 140 countries. Its…