皇冠体育app

A woman, wearing a mask, rides past a KFC restaurant in Shanghai April 11, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

KFC parent Yum Brands Inc on Monday reaffirmed its 2014 profit and said a resurgent in 皇冠体育app had not hurt national sales in its top market.

Shares of Yum jumped 4.7 percent to $69.26 in after-hours trading.

Yum forecast earnings per share growth of at least 20 percent for 2014. Many analysts had worried that the recent return of bird flu, which helped hammer demand for chicken in 皇冠体育app last year, would hit Yum's business hard.

"We're not seeing any impact on national sales from bird flu in 皇冠体育app," Yum spokesman Jonathan Blum told Rters.

Blum added that Yum is seeing "upward momentum" in its KFC 皇冠体育app business, which was also pummeled by a safety scare in late 2012.

皇冠体育app health authorities in January reported 127 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with the H7N9 avian flu virus from 皇冠体育app mainland, according to the World Health Organization. The Xinhua News agency last week reported that the bird flu has killed 21 people in 皇冠体育app so far this year.

Massive travel during the recent Chinese New Year holiday has fueled worries that many more people may become ill from the virus, and that it might mutate to become transmissible from person-to-person.

Shanghai's live poultry markets will be closed from the end of January through April 30 in an effort to lower the risk of the virus spreading. Other provinces in 皇冠体育app also have temporarily banned live chicken sales.

The chief executive of Tyson Foods Inc last week said demand for chicken is down as much as 30 percent in 皇冠体育app due to a softening economy, food safety scares and bird flu, resulting in "substantial oversupply". He added that concerns about a resurgence of avian flu could further dent demand.

Profit beats street

Yum executives will hold a conference call with analysts on Tuesday morning.

Yum earned $321 million, or 70 cents per share, for the fourth quarter, compared to $337 million, or 72 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items related to its Little Sheep investment, retired debt and other factors, fourth-quarter earnings were 86 cents per share. That handily topped analysts' average forecast for a profit of 80 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters

皇冠体育app sales at established restaurants fell 4 percent during the fourth quarter. That result included an estimated decline of 4 percent at KFC and 5 percent growth at Pizza Hut Casual Dining.

The fast-food operator gets more than half of its overall sales in 皇冠体育app, where most of its more than 6,200 restaurants are KFCs.

• NHTSA says finds no 'defect trend' in Tesla Model S sedans
• WTO rare earth ruling is unfair
• Amway says 2014 皇冠体育app sales may grow 8%
• President Xi in Europe: Forging deals, boosting business
• CNOOC releases 2013 sustainability report
• Local production by Chery Jaguar Land Rover this year
• Car lovers test their need for speed in BMW Mission 3
• 皇冠体育app stocks close mixed Monday