stake in Kentucky Fried Chicken (Bermuda) Ltd. (KFCB).

Just weeks after the US investment bank, broker and money manager swallowed up a large chunk of another local company, it has been transferred more than 23 percent of the issued shares of KFCB.

The Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX) said KFCB has advised exchange officials that recent large transactions have resulted in the transfer of 23 percent of the company's shares to an international institutional investor.

The BSX said, "The ownership of the company now stands at approximately 35 percent non-Bermudian and 65 percent Bermudian.'' The BSX added that in light of this, all purchase orders for non-Bermudians must be pre-cleared by KFCB's company secretary, Alison Guilfoyle.

Oppenheimer, of Liberty Street, New York, has obtained 150,000 of the 643,242 issued shares of the company in the last ten days. It is not their first major interest in a Bermuda firm.

Oppenheimer made news here some weeks ago, when The Royal Gazette reported it had become the largest shareholder in TeleBermuda International Ltd., the company that is challenging the monopoly market previously held by Cable & Wireless in Bermuda for international telecommunications services.

Three Oppenheimer investment funds were said to hold, as of March 14, some 17 percent of TeleBermuda, comprised of 588,000 of the 3,487,916 issued shares.

The three funds are Oppenheimer International Equity Ltd., Oppenheimer International Equity Exempt L.P. and Oppenheimer International Equity L.P., which owns 3.3 percent, 4.0 percent and 9.5 percent of TeleBermuda's shares, respectively.

The three funds are for high net worth individuals, foundations and pension funds, and offshore individuals.

Oppenheimer has more than $40 billion in funds under management.

RESTAURANT EAT