New menu items should boost sales

Article Excerpt

YUM CHINA HOLDINGS INC. $39 is a buy for aggressive investors. The company (New York symbol YUMC; Consumer Sector; Shares outstanding: 391.0 million; Market cap: $15.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 1.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.yumchina.com) is China’s largest fast-food operator with over 14,000 outlets, mainly under the KFC and Pizza Hut banners. The stock is down 9% since the start of 2024 due to China’s slowing economic growth, particularly in larger cities with rising housing costs. That’s giving consumers in those areas less to spend on fast food. However, the company’s sales in smaller cities continue to rebound in the wake of the pandemic. Yum China is also boosting its growth with new menu items. For example, it’s now selling hamburgers and steaks through its KFC and Pizza Hut outlets. Yum China is a buy. buy. …