Core Insights - In Q3 2025, the company reported revenue of $3.206 billion, a 4% increase, operating profit of $400 million, an 8% increase, and net profit attributable to shareholders of $282 million, a 5% decrease (adjusted for Meituan investment impact, net profit increased by 7%) [1] - The company returned $414 million to shareholders in Q3 2025, including $326 million in share buybacks and $88 million in cash dividends, with a total return of $950 million to shareholders in the first three quarters and an expected annual return of approximately $1.5 billion [1] Sales Performance - Same-store sales continued to show positive growth, with overall sales for the company/KFC/Pizza Hut increasing by 4%/5%/4% year-on-year, and same-store sales increasing by 1%/2%/1% respectively [1] - KFC's average transaction value decreased by 1%, while transaction volume increased by 3%; Pizza Hut's average transaction value decreased by 13%, while transaction volume increased by 17% [1] - The company added a net of 536 new stores in Q3 2025, with KFC contributing 402 new stores and Pizza Hut contributing 158 new stores [1] Profitability and Cost Structure - The company's operating profit margin improved to 12.5%, an increase of 0.4 percentage points, with restaurant profit margins at 17.3%, up 0.3 percentage points [2] - KFC and Pizza Hut restaurant profit margins were 18.5% and 13.4%, respectively, with year-on-year increases of 0.2 percentage points and 0.6 percentage points [2] - The increase in delivery sales, which accounted for 51% of total sales (up 11 percentage points), led to higher rider costs [2] Investment Outlook - The company adjusted its profit forecast, expecting revenues of $11.792 billion, $12.350 billion, and $13.013 billion for 2025-2027, with net profits of $917 million, $983 million, and $1.061 billion respectively [2] - The expected EPS for the same period is $2.53, $2.71, and $2.93, with the latest stock price corresponding to PE ratios of 17, 16, and 15 times [2]

Core Viewpoint - Yum China reported a 3Q25 revenue of $3.2 billion, a year-over-year increase of 4%, with operating profit at $400 million, up 8% year-over-year, slightly exceeding Bloomberg consensus expectations [1] Financial Performance - 3Q25 operating profit margin reached 12.5%, an increase of 0.4 percentage points year-over-year [1] - Net profit attributable to shareholders for 3Q25 was $282 million, down 5% year-over-year, primarily impacted by Meituan's stock price decline; excluding this loss, net profit increased by 7% year-over-year [1] - Total shareholder return for the quarter was $414 million, with a dividend of $0.24 per share announced; the company expects total returns of approximately $1.5 billion for the year [1] Same-Store Sales and Growth - Overall system sales increased by 4% in 3Q25, with same-store sales up 1%, continuing the growth trend from Q2 [1] - KFC's same-store sales grew by 2%, while Pizza Hut's same-store sales increased by 1% [1] - Delivery sales surged by 32% year-over-year, accounting for 51% of restaurant revenue, an increase of 11 percentage points year-over-year [1] Store Expansion and New Formats - The total number of stores reached 17,514, with KFC and Pizza Hut having 12,640 and 4,022 stores respectively; net new stores in 3Q25 were 536, with a 32% share of new franchise stores [2] - KFC and Pizza Hut achieved record net new stores in 3Q25, with 403 and 158 new stores respectively [2] - New formats such as KFC Coffee and KPRO are expanding, with KFC Coffee reaching 1,800 locations [2] Shareholder Returns and Guidance - The company returned a total of $414 million to shareholders in 3Q25, with $88 million in cash dividends and $326 million in stock buybacks [2] - The company maintains its guidance for total shareholder returns of $3 billion for 2025-2026, representing 9% of its market value as of November 3, 2025 [2] Profit Forecast and Valuation - The company adjusted its net profit forecasts for 2025-2027 to $908 million, $986 million, and $1.049 billion respectively, reflecting a decrease of 2.6%, 3.7%, and 4.2% from previous estimates [3] - The target price is adjusted to $53.10, based on a 2026 PE ratio of 18X, considering stable customer spending and operational efficiency improvements [3]

Investment Rating - The investment rating for Yum China (9987.HK) is "Buy" [1] Core Insights - The company reported a revenue of $3.206 billion in Q3 2025, representing a 4% year-over-year increase, while operating profit rose by 8% to $400 million. However, net profit attributable to shareholders decreased by 5% to $282 million, but increased by 7% when excluding the impact of investments in Meituan [2] - The company returned $414 million to shareholders in Q3 2025, including $326 million in stock buybacks and $88 million in cash dividends, with a total of $950 million returned in the first three quarters and an expected annual return of approximately $1.5 billion [2] Summary by Sections Sales Performance - In Q3 2025, the overall sales for the company, KFC, and Pizza Hut increased by 4%, 5%, and 4% year-over-year, respectively. Same-store sales grew by 1% for the overall company, 2% for KFC, and 1% for Pizza Hut. KFC's average transaction price decreased by 1%, while transaction volume increased by 3%. Pizza Hut saw a 13% drop in average transaction price but a 17% increase in transaction volume [3] Store Expansion - The company added a net total of 536 new stores in Q3 2025, with 32% being franchise stores. KFC contributed 402 new stores (41% franchise) for a total of 12,640 stores, while Pizza Hut added 158 new stores (28% franchise) for a total of 4,022 stores [3] Profitability and Cost Management - The operating profit margin improved to 12.5%, up 0.4 percentage points, with restaurant profit margins at 17.3%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points. KFC and Pizza Hut's restaurant profit margins were 18.5% and 13.4%, respectively, with year-over-year increases of 0.2 and 0.6 percentage points. This improvement was attributed to favorable raw material prices, operational streamlining, and automation [5] Future Earnings Forecast - The revenue projections for 2025-2027 are $11.792 billion, $12.350 billion, and $13.013 billion, respectively. The net profit attributable to shareholders is expected to be $916.8 million, $982.7 million, and $1.061 billion for the same years. The earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $2.53, $2.71, and $2.93, respectively. The latest stock price corresponds to price-to-earnings (PE) ratios of 17, 16, and 15 times for the respective years [6]

Core Insights - The report from Everbright Securities maintains the net profit forecast for Yum China (09987) at $1.002 billion and $1.074 billion for 2026-2027, translating to EPS of $2.53, $2.77, and $2.97 for 2025-2027, with a "buy" rating due to strong digital and supply chain capabilities [1] Financial Performance - In Q3 2025, the company achieved revenue of $3.21 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4% (or 4% excluding foreign currency effects), with adjusted net profit of $282 million and core operating profit of $399 million, reflecting an 8% increase (excluding foreign currency effects) [1][2] - The core operating profit margin was 12.5%, up by 0.4 percentage points year-on-year [1] Same-Store Sales and Expansion - Same-store sales increased by 1% in Q3 2025, with KFC and Pizza Hut showing growth of 2% and 1% respectively; KFC's same-store transaction volume rose by 3% [2] - The company opened 536 new stores in Q3 2025, with a total of 17,514 restaurants at the end of the quarter [2] Operational Efficiency - In Q3 2025, food and packaging costs accounted for 31.3% of restaurant revenue, benefiting from supply chain efficiency and lower raw material prices [3] - The restaurant profit margin improved to 17.3%, up by 0.3 percentage points year-on-year, with KFC and Pizza Hut margins at 18.5% and 13.4% respectively [3] New Business Initiatives - The company has made significant progress with new business initiatives, including over 1,800 KFC coffee stores and more than 100 KPRO locations in high-tier cities [4] - The WOW Pizza Hut stores expanded to 250 locations, entering 40 new cities without a Pizza Hut brand [4] Product Strategy - The focus on core products, limited-time offerings, and entry-level products has driven sales growth, with KFC's new crispy chicken wings and Pizza Hut's new thin-crust pizza performing well [5] - Entry-level products from KFC and Pizza Hut saw double-digit sales growth in the first three quarters of 2025, with KFC exploring options for meals under 20 yuan to attract more customers [5]