9 October 2025 | 7:06PM HKT Equity Research GLOBAL RESTAURANTS Addressing key debates related to the China restaurants landscape and implications for global investors China has emerged as a linchpin of global fast food expansion, representing not only a significant market but a major unit growth engine for industry leaders like MCD, YUM, DPZ and SBUX. With 1.4 billion consumers and an expanding middle class, China's QSR sector has become a fierce battleground with both global/local brands pushing aggressive ...

Loomis Sayles, an investment management company, released its “Global Growth Fund” investor letter for the second quarter of 2025. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the second quarter, the fund returned 16.61% compared to 11.53% for the MSCI ACWI Index Net. The firm seeks to invest in high-quality businesses that possess sustainable competitive advantages and experience profitable growth, especially when these companies are trading at a substantial discount to their intrinsic value. In additio ...

Core Insights - Yum China Holdings, Inc. has been recognized in Fortune's 2025 "Change the World" list for its positive social impact initiatives, particularly highlighting the KFC Food Bank program [1][5] - The KFC Food Bank program, launched in 2020, has expanded to over 1,000 stations in more than 180 cities, providing free surplus food to community members [2] - The One Yuan Donation Program has raised over RMB 270 million since 2008, providing over 59.6 million nutritious meals and building over 1,500 modern kitchens for rural schools [3] - Yum China is committed to sustainability, aiming to reduce food waste per restaurant by 10% by 2030 compared to a 2020 baseline, while also focusing on decarbonization and waste recycling [2][4] Company Overview - Yum China is the largest restaurant company in China, operating over 16,000 restaurants across six brands in more than 2,400 cities [8] - The company includes leading brands such as KFC and Pizza Hut, and has a strong digital supply chain and loyalty program to enhance customer service [8]

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) is among the best safe stocks to buy now. In the first quarter, Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) through the purchase of 99,599 shares of the company’s stock. According to the filing with the SEC, the investment advisor owns 1.4% of the company, which translates to an investment of approximately $5,185,000. Most analysts highlight the strategies adopted by Yum China Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:YUMC) in making their bullish st ...

Company Overview - YUM! Brands, Inc. is a global leader in the restaurant industry, operating well-known brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky [1] - The company is recognized for its strategic financial maneuvers to support growth and optimize its financial structure, competing with major players like McDonald's and Domino's Pizza [1] Recent Financial Transactions - On September 15, 2025, CEO Gibbs David W sold 1,976 shares of YUM's common stock at $149.80 per share, leaving him with approximately 102,893 shares [2] - The current stock price of YUM is $149.29, reflecting a slight decrease of 0.13% or $0.20 [2] Capital Raising and Debt Management - YUM! Brands announced the pricing of $1.5 billion in securitized notes, aimed at raising capital for strategic initiatives or refinancing existing debt [3] - The company intends to refinance certain notes under its existing securitization financing facility to potentially reduce interest expenses, demonstrating a commitment to managing financial obligations effectively [4] Market Performance - YUM's market capitalization is approximately $41.43 billion, with a trading volume of 563,372 shares on the NYSE [5] - The stock has traded between $148.92 and $150.15 today, with a 52-week high of $163.30 and a low of $122.13, indicating the stock's performance and investor interest [5]

Company Overview - Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM) has a market capitalization of $40.5 billion and operates globally through its well-known brands: KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill, with a presence in over 150 countries and territories primarily through franchise and license agreements [1][2] Stock Performance - Yum! Brands' shares have decreased by 10.6% from their 52-week high of $163.30, while the stock has risen 1.5% over the past three months, underperforming the S&P 500 Index, which gained 8.2% in the same period [3] - Year-to-date, YUM stock is up 8.8%, lagging behind the S&P 500's 11.1% increase, and has increased by 9.9% over the past 52 weeks compared to the S&P 500's 18.9% return [4] Financial Performance - In Q2 2025, Yum! Brands reported an adjusted EPS of $1.44, which missed analyst estimates, leading to a 5.1% drop in shares on August 5. Rising ingredient costs, increased advertising spending, and a 13% rise in total expenses pressured margins, while worldwide same-store sales grew only 2%, below the forecast of 2.37% [5] - Taco Bell, which accounts for 38% of revenue, experienced a slowdown in U.S. same-store sales growth to 4% [5] Analyst Sentiment - Despite underperforming relative to the S&P 500, analysts maintain a moderately optimistic outlook on Yum! Brands, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from 28 analysts and a mean price target of $159.78, indicating a potential upside of 9.4% from current levels [6]

Core Insights - Tapestry, Inc. is implementing a three-year "Amplify" strategy aimed at profitable growth and strong shareholder returns, focusing on emotional connections with consumers, fashion innovation, global experiences, and a consumer-focused culture [1][2] Company Strategy - The strategy is particularly focused on attracting Millennials and Gen Z, who are increasingly choosing Coach, with projections indicating that by 2030, these demographics will represent over 70% of the luxury market [2][3] - Tapestry aims to capture the initial luxury purchases of these younger consumers, emphasizing the long-term value of acquiring customers at this entry point [3] Financial Performance - In the quarter ending June 28, Tapestry reported a non-cash impairment charge of $855 million related to Kate Spade, alongside a 13% revenue decline for the brand [3] - Despite these challenges, Tapestry is confident in its strategy to drive future growth for both Coach and Kate Spade [3] Growth Projections - Tapestry projects mid-single-digit annual revenue growth (CAGR) for Coach and aims to expand its operating margin to the mid-30% range over the next three years, with a long-term goal of reaching $10 billion in annual revenue [4] - Kate Spade is expected to return to profitable top-line growth by Fiscal 2027, targeting mid-single-digit revenue growth and high single-digit operating margin by Fiscal 2028 [4] Marketing and Investment - Tapestry has significantly increased its marketing investment from 3.5% to over 11% of revenue over the past three years, with plans to further increase it by 200 basis points [5] - The company emphasizes the importance of scale and marketing investment in a competitive landscape with low barriers to entry but significant barriers to scale [5] Shareholder Returns - Tapestry plans to return $4 billion to shareholders by fiscal 2028, representing 100% of adjusted free cash flow from FY26 to FY28, even after capital expenditures [6] - The company is focused on a sustainable mid-single-digit growth rate, with capital allocation priorities including growing dividends and a recently authorized $3 billion share repurchase [7]

Core Insights - Yum Brands reported revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter ended June 2025, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 9.6% and a slight revenue surprise of +0.15% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate [1] - The earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter was $1.44, which is an increase from $1.35 in the same quarter last year, but fell short of the consensus EPS estimate of $1.45, resulting in an EPS surprise of -0.69% [1] Financial Performance Metrics - System same-store sales for the Pizza Hut Division decreased by 1% compared to an average estimate of -1.8% [4] - KFC Division's same-store sales increased by 2%, slightly below the average estimate of 2.3% [4] - Taco Bell Division's same-store sales rose by 4%, which is lower than the estimated 5.2% [4] - Total number of restaurants was reported at 61,272, which is below the estimated 61,524 [4] - Company sales revenue was $669 million, compared to the estimated $680.67 million, marking a 17% increase year-over-year [4] - Franchise and property revenues reached $835 million, exceeding the estimate of $826.92 million, with a year-over-year increase of 5.8% [4] - Franchise contributions for advertising and other services totaled $428 million, slightly above the estimate of $426.07 million, representing a 6.5% year-over-year increase [4] - KFC Division's franchise contributions for advertising and other services were $167 million, surpassing the estimate of $159.68 million, with a year-over-year increase of 12.1% [4] - Habit Burger Grill Division reported revenues of $134 million, below the estimate of $142.99 million, reflecting a 5% decrease year-over-year [4] - Pizza Hut Division's franchise contributions for advertising and other services were $85 million, below the estimate of $90.52 million, indicating a 4.5% year-over-year decline [4] - Taco Bell Division's franchise contributions for advertising and other services were $176 million, slightly above the estimate of $174.54 million, with a year-over-year increase of 7.3% [4] - Habit Burger Grill Division's company sales were $130 million, below the estimate of $141.27 million [4] Stock Performance - Yum Brands' shares have returned -2.2% over the past month, contrasting with the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1% change [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), suggesting potential outperformance against the broader market in the near term [3]

Core Insights - Yum! Brands Inc reported second-quarter earnings of $1.44 per share, slightly below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.45, and revenue of $1.93 billion, just under the expected $1.94 billion [1] - The company's underperformance was attributed to weak domestic results from KFC and Pizza Hut, which are facing significant competition [1] Stock Performance - Following the earnings report, Yum! Brands' stock declined by 3.1%, trading at $142.42, although it still maintains a 6.26% year-to-date gain [2] - Support at the $140 level has helped stabilize the stock since February [2] Analyst Sentiment - Analysts show caution towards Yum! Brands, with nine maintaining a "strong buy" rating and 18 a "hold" rating [3] - Options traders have exhibited increased bullish sentiment, with a call/put volume ratio of 1.85, higher than 96% of readings from the past year [3] Options Activity - Options volume is currently five times the typical intraday average, with the most active contract being the monthly 8/15 140-strike call [4]

Core Insights - Yum China Holdings reported revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter ended June 2025, reflecting a 4% increase year-over-year and surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.78 billion by 0.15% [1] - The company's EPS for the quarter was $0.58, up from $0.55 in the same quarter last year, exceeding the consensus EPS estimate of $0.57 by 1.75% [1] Financial Performance Metrics - Total number of restaurants was 16,978, slightly below the average estimate of 17,076 [4] - KFC restaurants totaled 12,238, compared to the average estimate of 12,279 [4] - Other restaurant categories included 876 locations versus an estimated 932, and Pizza Hut had 3,864 locations, close to the estimated 3,865 [4] - Company sales revenue was $2.61 billion, matching the average estimate and showing a 3.4% year-over-year increase [4] - Revenue from transactions with franchisees was $115 million, exceeding the estimated $106.13 million, marking a significant 19.8% increase year-over-year [4] - Franchise fees and income reached $24 million, below the average estimate of $26.62 million, but still reflecting a 9.1% year-over-year increase [4] - Pizza Hut revenue was $554 million, slightly below the estimated $556.99 million, with a year-over-year increase of 2.6% [4] - KFC revenue was reported at $2.1 billion, surpassing the estimated $2.09 billion, indicating a 4.1% year-over-year growth [4] - Other revenues from Pizza Hut were $6 million, below the estimated $6.38 million, showing a decline of 14.3% year-over-year [4] - Revenue from Pizza Hut franchisee transactions was $1 million, below the estimated $1.57 million, with no year-over-year change [4] Stock Performance - Yum China's shares have returned -2.3% over the past month, contrasting with the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1% change [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), suggesting potential for outperformance in the near term [3]