Shares of Yum China (YUMC) are on the rise following a media report saying the company has rejected a buyout offer of $46 per share made by a consortium led by Hillhouse Capital. Earlier this month, Bloomberg had reported that China’s sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corp., was part of the consortium bidding to take Yum China private.

Buyout offer purportedly rejected 

Yum China has rejected a private buyout offer from a consortium of investors that valued the company at over $17B, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing a person familiar with the matter. An investor group led by Hillhouse Capital Group in recent months offered to take the restaurant operator private at $46 per share, but the all-cash offer was turned down by the company’s board in recent weeks, sources told the publication.

Last month, it was  reported that Hillhouse Capital was in talks to acquire Yum China. The company operates over 8,000 KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants across mainland China. A takeover led by Hillhouse would assist the company in accelerating its efforts to implement high-tech initiatives in its brick-and-mortar stores in order to attract Chinese millennials, the report pointed out.

China Investment part of consortium 

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that China’s sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corp., was part of the consortium bidding to take Yum China private. The sovereign fund and DCP Capital, an investment fund run by former KKR (KKR) executives, are considering a buyout of Yum China, which runs KFC and Pizza Hut outlets, along with Hillhouse Capital, the publication added. Yum China spun off from Yum! Brands (YUM) in 2016.

Price action 

In afternoon trading, shares of Yum China trading in New York are off their earlier highs, but are trading up 3.8% to $37.14.

 

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