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