Yum Brands Inc. YUM, +0.01% will shutter hundreds of Pizza Hut locations, bringing the total U.S. store count to about 7,000, as it makes the transition to a fast-casual delivery format from a dine-in setup.

There are 7,496 Pizza Hut locations in the U.S., according to the Yum Brands YUM, +0.01% website.

“Pizza Hut continues to develop tailored action plans for our largest dine-in markets, while at the same time transforming the estate for a more compelling off-premise focused asset strategy,” said Chief Executive Greg Creed on the earnings call, according to a FactSet transcript.

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Stifel analysts think the closures will likely be in the Midwest where many dine-in restaurants, linked to Red Roof Inns, are located.

“Notably, we believe this could represent an opportunity for competitors to claim market share as the company indicated there would be some amount of unit downtime to manage,” wrote Stifel analysts led by Chris O’Cull. “We will be looking for management to provide more details in coming quarters, to more clearly quantify the impact on the overall lineup. Unit economics remain challenging for many Pizza Hut franchisees, as evidenced by the change in the $5 Lineup to the $5-and-Up Lineup in an effort to support weaker profitability.”

Stifel thinks Yum will have to lend a hand to franchisees as it makes the shift, whether royalty relief or other financing.

Stifel rates Yum shares hold with a $110 price target, up from $100.

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UBS analysts think the decision is the right one, but don’t know how long it will take to complete.

“Yum unit growth should remain ~4% on average over the next several years, with some choppiness,” wrote analysts led by Dennis Geiger. “While encouraging and necessary, we believe the turnaround is still likely to take time.”

UBS rates Yum stock buy with a $131 price target, up from $112.

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“We note that Pizza Hut’s dine-in business continues to offset what has been a strong off-premise business,” wrote KeyBanc Capital Markets analysts.

Analysts also think Yum’s partnership with GrubHub Inc. is “underappreciated” for what it can do to change consumers’ thinking about delivery outside of pizza.

“In addition, Yum Brands will be able to share its own institutional knowledge of the delivery landscape that it has developed at its Pizza Hut stores all over the world,” KeyBanc said.