Key Takeaways NYT, YUMC and ESQ announced dividend hikes as markets turned volatile this year.NYT set a $0.23 dividend for Apr. 16, extending a multi-year pattern of dividend increases.YUMC declared a $0.29 dividend for Mar. 25, marking its fourth dividend increase in five years.Wall Street has remained volatile since the beginning of the year, despite all three major indexes hitting new highs. The volatility has intensified over the past two weeks, with indexes giving up most of their gains this year.The v ...

Leadership Change - Devyani International (DIL) has appointed Manish Dawar as the new CEO and president, effective from 1 April 2026, succeeding Viraj Joshi who will remain as a non-executive director [1][2] - The board believes that this leadership transition is crucial for DIL's next phase, which requires a bold strategic vision and strong execution capability [2] Financial Performance - DIL reported a consolidated net loss of Rs103.9 million ($1.15 million) for Q3 FY26, compared to a loss of Rs4.9 million in the same period a year earlier [3] - Excluding a one-time charge related to India's new labor laws, DIL posted a profit of Rs659.8 million ($7.31 million) for the December quarter [3] Merger Agreement - DIL has entered a merger agreement with Sapphire Foods, which will combine two Yum! Brands franchise operators in India, creating one of the largest quick-service restaurant groups in the country [3][4] - The merger is expected to take approximately 12 to 15 months to become effective [4]

Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, reported a 27% increase in fourth-quarter 2025 net income, with profit rising to $535m from $423m a year earlier. Revenue for the three months to 31 December 2025 was $2.51bn, up 6% from $2.36bn in Q4 2024. Global system sales in the quarter rose 5%, excluding foreign currency translation and the impact of lapping the prior year’s 53rd week. Taco Bell led with 8% growth, followed by KFC at 6%. Across all brands, Yum! Brands opened 1,814 g ...

Core Insights - Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) is a significant player in the fast-food industry in China, operating brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, and competes with McDonald's and Starbucks [1] Financial Performance - YUMC's stock is currently priced at $53.14, reflecting an increase of 4.73% or $2.40, with a trading range today between $50.40 and $53.41 [4] - Over the past year, the stock has reached a high of $53.99 and a low of $41, with a market capitalization of approximately $18.78 billion and a daily trading volume of 1,968,030 shares on the NYSE [4][5] Analyst Outlook - Jefferies analyst Anne Ling has set a price target of $63.64 for YUMC, indicating a potential upside of approximately 19.76%, reflecting confidence in the company's growth prospects and strategic initiatives [2][5] Earnings Call Insights - YUMC recently held its Q4 2025 earnings call, which provided insights into the company's financial performance, highlighting significant achievements and challenges faced during the quarter [3][5]

Core Viewpoint - Jefferies has upgraded Yum China Holdings to a "Buy" rating and increased the price target, reflecting strong financial performance and positive growth prospects for the company [1][6]. Financial Performance - Yum China reported earnings of $0.40 per share for the fourth quarter, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.35 per share by 14.29% [2][6]. - The company's revenues for the quarter reached $2.82 billion, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 3.01% and showing an increase from $2.6 billion in the same quarter the previous year [3][6]. Stock Performance - The stock price of Yum China (YUMC) is currently at $53.14, reflecting a price increase of $2.40 or 4.73% [4]. - Over the past year, YUMC has fluctuated between a low of $41 and a high of $53.99, indicating a positive trend in its stock performance [4]. Market Position - Yum China's market capitalization is approximately $18.79 billion, with a trading volume of 1,968,030 shares, indicating strong investor confidence in the company's growth prospects [5].

Hello and welcome to Market Domination. I'm Josh Lipton live from our New York headquarters. There just now to go now until the closing bell and stocks are mixed here. The NASDAQ is the worst performer. Our very own Jared Blickery is breaking down all the moves. Jared, >> another nasty day for tech. We're going to dig inside that in a second here. Let's check out the Wi-Fi interactive where we see kind of a mixed market right now. Here's the Dow. It's up 336 points or 7/10 of 1% and you can see we're back i ...

Financial Performance - Yum Brands reported revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter ended December 2025, reflecting a 6.4% increase year-over-year [1] - The earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter was $1.73, up from $1.61 in the same quarter last year [1] - The reported revenue exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.47 billion by 1.99%, while the EPS fell short of the consensus estimate of $1.78 by 2.62% [1] Key Metrics - Total restaurants for Taco Bell Division reached 9,030, surpassing the average estimate of 8,984 [4] - KFC Division had 33,897 total restaurants, slightly below the average estimate of 33,899 [4] - Pizza Hut Division reported 19,974 total restaurants, which was below the average estimate of 20,190 [4] Same-Store Sales and Revenue Contributions - Taco Bell Division's system same-store sales increased by 7% year-over-year, exceeding the average estimate of 5.8% [4] - Company sales for Taco Bell Division were $971 million, above the estimated $948.02 million, representing a 9.7% year-over-year increase [4] - Franchise and property revenues totaled $997 million, exceeding the average estimate of $987.03 million, marking a 5.5% year-over-year increase [4] Division-Specific Performance - Franchise contributions for advertising and other services in Taco Bell Division were $240 million, surpassing the estimated $232.19 million, with a 3.9% year-over-year increase [4] - KFC Division's franchise contributions for advertising and other services were $201 million, slightly above the average estimate of $200.77 million, reflecting an 8.1% year-over-year increase [4] - Habit Burger Grill Division reported company sales of $170 million, below the estimated $176.31 million, indicating a 10.1% year-over-year decline [4]

Key Takeaways YUM posted Q4 EPS of $1.73 below estimates, while revenues of $2.51B beat expectations and rose YoY.Taco Bell led global system sales growth at 8%, with KFC close behind at 6%, while Pizza Hut declined 2%.KFC logged its best year ever for unit growth, opening 1,132 restaurants as YUM reaffirmed long-term targets.YUM! Brands, Inc. (YUM) reported fourth-quarter 2025 results, with earnings missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate but revenues beating the same. However, both metrics increased year ove ...

分组1 - Yum Brands reported quarterly earnings of $1.73 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.78 per share, but showing an increase from $1.61 per share a year ago, resulting in an earnings surprise of -2.62% [1] - The company posted revenues of $2.51 billion for the quarter ended December 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.99%, and compared to year-ago revenues of $2.36 billion [2] - Yum shares have increased approximately 4.9% since the beginning of the year, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 1.1% [3] 分组2 - The current consensus EPS estimate for the coming quarter is $1.40 on revenues of $1.97 billion, and for the current fiscal year, it is $6.68 on revenues of $8.89 billion [7] - The Zacks Industry Rank indicates that the Retail - Restaurants sector is currently in the bottom 26% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting potential challenges for stock performance [8]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q4, the company achieved a 5% growth in system sales, driven by 3% unit growth and 3% same-store sales growth [19] - Digital sales reached over $11 billion, growing 25% year-over-year, raising the digital mix to nearly 60% [20] - For the full year, system sales grew 5%, with Taco Bell at 8% and KFC at 6% [20] - Q4 core operating profit grew 11%, and the full-year core operating profit increased by 7% [22] - Excluding Pizza Hut, core operating profit grew 10% [22] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Taco Bell reported 7% same-store sales growth, while KFC achieved 6% system sales growth [4][11] - Taco Bell's U.S. restaurant-level margins were 25.7%, a 50 basis points expansion year-over-year [21] - KFC's Q4 restaurant-level margins were 12.7%, a 60 basis points expansion year-over-year [21] - KFC opened over 1,100 units in Q4 and nearly 3,000 units for the year, marking a record pace [22][23] - Taco Bell opened 228 new units in Q4, with a target of reaching at least 10,000 units in North America [26] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - KFC's largest equity estate, the UK, saw a 10% increase in same-store sales in Q4 [11] - Taco Bell International achieved 5% same-store sales growth, with standout performance in Canada, the U.K., and Spain [16] - Pizza Hut experienced a 1% same-store sales decline globally, but saw growth in Pizza Hut International [30] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to raise the bar with three core priorities: enhancing average unit volumes, accelerating restaurant-level economics for franchisees, and leveraging technology through Byte [8] - Taco Bell has set ambitious goals for 2030, including reaching approximately $3 million in U.S. average unit volume and expanding to 3,000 international stores [9] - The company is focused on digital capabilities, with digital sales growing significantly and expected to drive nearly one-quarter of Taco Bell's average unit volume growth in 2026 [16] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the business's momentum and the ability to exceed long-term growth algorithms, particularly in Taco Bell and KFC [39][43] - The strategic review of Pizza Hut is ongoing, with expectations for strong gross openings globally despite targeted closures of underperforming units [32][36] - Management highlighted the importance of franchise partnerships and the potential for growth in under-penetrated markets like India and Brazil [24][25] Other Important Information - The company returned approximately $1.35 billion to shareholders in 2025 through dividends and share buybacks [33] - The capital priorities include maximizing shareholder value, maintaining a strong balance sheet, and returning excess cash to shareholders [33] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you elaborate on opportunities to accelerate growth in Taco Bell and KFC? - Management noted strong momentum in both brands, with record unit openings and a focus on improving restaurant economics to sustain growth [39] Question: What are the prospects for KFC global development and franchise revenue? - Management emphasized strong paybacks in various markets and a focus on unlocking growth potential in under-penetrated regions [46] Question: How is Taco Bell's comp growth driven by traffic and demographics? - Management reported strong transaction growth across all income bands, with increased penetration among higher-income consumers and families [57] Question: What is the current adoption status of the Byte initiative in the U.S.? - Management indicated high penetration of Byte in Taco Bell U.S. and plans for further expansion into international markets [62] Question: What are the long-term growth expectations beyond Pizza Hut? - Management is focused on completing the strategic review of Pizza Hut while driving performance in Taco Bell and KFC [71]