Yum China

Yum China has completed the acquisition of the brand rights to Pizza Hut in mainland China from Yum! Brands for $1.2 billion. The elimination of 3% licensing fees is expected to boost restaurant and operating profit margins after VAT by about 2.8%. The company expects a slightly positive impact on diluted EPS in 2026 and a mid‑single‑digit percentage increase in 2027/2028, and an acceleration of net new openings to over 800 stores per year. The transaction was financed with a one‑year offshore RMB bridge loan of around 1.2 billion (term up to 12 months, interest about 2%). » More on de.investing.com

Yum Brands is divesting Pizza Hut, selling the business outside China for $1.5 billion to private equity firm LongRange Capital, while Yum China is acquiring the China operations for $1.2 billion. Proceeds are to be invested in technology and returned to shareholders. Pizza Hut had recently been seen as the weakest link in the brand portfolio and had suffered from competitive pressure and store closures. » More on n-tv.de

Yum China reported that KFC’s light-meal concept KPRO has exceeded 300 locations in China and the company raised its 2026 rollout target to 600 stores, focusing on tier-1 and tier-2 and select tier-3 cities. The company announced share repurchase programs totaling about $512M for H2 2026 across the U.S. and Hong Kong. In Q1 Yum China posted adjusted EPS of $0.87 and revenue of $3.3B, with same-store transactions up 2% and same-store sales at prior-year levels. » More on finance.yahoo.com

An SEC filing shows GuardCap Asset Management sold 3,593,257 Yum China shares in Q1, an estimated $186.0 million of transactions that reduced Yum China to 11.02% of its 13F AUM from 21.67%. GuardCap’s overall portfolio value fell from $3.7 billion to $1.7 billion and it trimmed its 11 largest holdings by 44% or more during the quarter. Yum China reported TTM revenue of $11.8 billion, net income around $1.0 billion, raised its quarterly dividend and posted Q1 revenue and operating profit growth of about 10% and 12%, respectively, while pursuing $1.5 billion in buybacks and dividends for the year. » More on finance.yahoo.com

Yum China reported Q1 revenue up 10% and operating profit up 12% (6% ex‑FX), with operating profit margin expanding 20 basis points and same‑store sales roughly flat while transactions grew for the 13th consecutive quarter. The company opened 636 net new stores in Q1 and remains on track to open more than 1,900 net new stores in 2026 and surpass 20,000 total stores, driven by franchise contributions and rapid rollouts of Pizza Hut WOW, KCOFFEE and KPRO. Delivery mix rose to 54% from 42%, increasing rider and labor costs and trimming restaurant margin by 40 basis points, but operating profit reached a Q1 record of $447 million. Management reiterated full‑year targets, expects sequential improvement in same‑store sales and margins in H2, and plans to return $1.5 billion to shareholders for 2026. » More on finance.yahoo.com