Yum forecasts 10% profit rise in ’08, deep cut in restaurant ownership

LOUISVILLE Ky. Yum! Brands Inc., the parent of Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell and several smaller quick-service other brands, said this month it expects to post a 10-percent increase in its 2008 per-share profit, which has been the company’s long-term target for years.

To achieve the 10-percent profit growth, Louisville-based Yum expects 20-percent growth in both revenue and operating profit in its booming China region and flat revenue growth and a 5-percent operating