UPDATE: Goldman Sachs Raises PT to $65 on Yum! Brands Following Positive Comps Outlook

Goldman Sachs maintained Yum! Brands

with a Neutral rating and raised the price target from $63.00 to $65.00. Goldman Sachs analyst Michael Kelter noted, "UM reported February China SSS of +2% from -37% in January. When adjusted for the Chinese New Year shift (which YUM quantified in the midteens), this suggests an improvement in underlying SSS run rate to -13% in February from -22% in January. … The improvement in underlying trend suggests that the acute phase of YUM's recent chicken PR issue is finally behind it. The focus now is on the length of time before trends return to positive; until that time the P&L is under a significant amount of stress from China fixed cost de-leverage." Yum! Brands closed at $67.84 on Monday.