Spinoff spotlight: Yum China Holdings

Article Excerpt

YUM CHINA HOLDINGS INC. $59 is a buy. The company (New York symbol YUMC; Consumer Sector; Shares outstanding: 417.1 million; Market cap: $24.6 billion; Dividend yield: 0.9%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.yumchina.com) is China’s largest fast-food operator with over 13,000 outlets in 1,800 cities, mainly under the KFC and Pizza Hut banners. In November 2016, former parent company Yum! Brands Inc. (New York symbol YUM) spun off its Chinese operations as Yum China. Investors received one share of the new firm for each YUM share they held. The company opened its first KFC store in Shanghai in 1989, and now has 500 outlets in that major city. For all of 2023, Yum China expects to open between 1,100 and 1,300 new stores (net of closures). Despite slower-than-expected economic growth in China following the end of COVID-19 restrictions, the company should continue to benefit from strong consumer demand for online ordering and home delivery service. As a result, Yum China’s earnings will probably jump 114% to $2.24 a share…