Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) today reported results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024. Worldwide system sales, excluding foreign currency translation, grew 1% reflecting 5% unit growth. Third-quarter GAAP operating profit grew 1% and third-quarter core operating profit grew 3%. Third-quarter GAAP EPS was $1.35 and third-quarter EPS excluding Special Items was $1.37. Third-quarter EPS excluding Special Items reflects a $0.14 negative impact from a higher current year tax rate and lower investment income year-over-year.

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DAVID GIBBS COMMENTS

David Gibbs, CEO, said “I'm incredibly proud of how our teams have navigated such a complex consumer environment to deliver 3% Core Operating Profit growth this quarter. The strengths of our twin growth engines were evident: Taco Bell U.S. significantly outperformed QSR competition with 4% same-store sales growth, and KFC International grew units an impressive 9% year-over-year. KFC International's unit openings spanned 64 countries this quarter, and year-to-date gross openings are up nearly 150 units year-over-year. While sales have been impacted by pressures relating to geopolitical conflicts and challenged consumer sentiment, our iconic brands which are led by our world-class talent and enabled by Yum!'s unmatched scale and cutting-edge, proprietary tech, are positioned for unstoppable growth.”

THIRD-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

• Worldwide system sales grew 1%, excluding foreign currency translation, with KFC at 1%, Taco Bell at 5%, and Pizza Hut (1)%.
• Unit count increased 5% including 1,029 gross new units in the quarter.
• Robust digital system sales exceeding $8 billion, with digital mix over 50%.
• GAAP operating profit grew 1% and core operating profit grew 3%.
• Foreign currency translation unfavorably impacted divisional operating profit by $3 million.

KFC DIVISION

• KFC Division opened 685 gross new restaurants across 65 countries.
• Company-owned restaurant margins were 12.5%, including the newly acquired U.K. stores for the full quarter.
• Foreign currency translation unfavorably impacted operating profit by $1 million.

TACO BELL DIVISION

• Taco Bell Division opened 49 gross new restaurants across 15 countries.
• Taco Bell U.S. system sales grew 5% and Taco Bell International system sales excluding foreign currency translation, grew 6%.
• Taco Bell U.S. and Taco Bell International same-store sales grew 4% and 1%, respectively.
• Company-owned restaurant margins were 23.4%, down slightly year-over-year.

PIZZA HUT DIVISION

• Pizza Hut Division opened 292 gross new restaurants across 36 countries.
• Foreign currency translation unfavorably impacted operating profit by $2 million.

HABIT BURGER & GRILL DIVISION

• Habit Burger & Grill Division opened 3 gross new restaurants.
• Habit Burger & Grill Division system sales declined 1% with same-store sales declining 5%.

OTHER ITEMS

• See reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measurements to GAAP results within this release for further detail of Special Items by financial statement line item including the impact of Special Items on General and administrative expenses.
• Disclosures pertaining to outstanding debt in our Restricted Group capital structure will be provided at the time of the filing of the third-quarter Form 10-Q.

CONFERENCE CALL

Yum! Brands, Inc. will host a conference call to review the company's financial performance and strategies at 7:45 a.m. Eastern Time November 5, 2024. The number is 404/975-4839 for U.S. callers, 833/950-0062 for Canada callers, and +1/929-526-1599 for international callers, conference ID 611638.

The call will be available for playback beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time November 5, 2024 through November 12, 2024. To access the playback, dial 866/813-9403 in the U.S., 226/828-7578 in Canada, and +1/929-458-6194 internationally, conference ID 196705.

The webcast and the playback can be accessed by visiting Yum! Brands' website, investors.yum.com/events-and-presentations and selecting “Q3 2024 Yum! Brands, Inc. Earnings Call.”

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ONLINE

Quarter-end dates for each division, restaurant count details, definitions of terms and Restricted Group financial information are available at investors.yum.com. Reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in our Condensed Consolidated Summary of Results.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This announcement may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We intend all forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and by the use of forward-looking words such as “expect,” “expectation,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “may,” “could,” “intend,” “belief,” “plan,” “estimate,” “target,” “predict,” “likely,” “seek,” “project,” “model,” “ongoing,” “will,” “should,” “forecast,” “outlook” or similar terminology. These statements are based on and reflect our current expectations, estimates, assumptions and/ or projections, our perception of historical trends and current conditions, as well as other factors that we believe are appropriate and reasonable under the circumstances. Forward-looking statements are neither predictions nor guarantees of future events, circumstances or performance and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by those statements. There can be no assurance that our expectations, estimates, assumptions and/or projections, including with respect to the future earnings and performance or capital structure of Yum! Brands, will prove to be correct or that any of our expectations, estimates or projections will be achieved.

Numerous factors could cause our actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: food safety and food- or beverage-borne illness concerns; adverse impacts of health epidemics, deterioration in public health conditions or the occurrence of other catastrophic or unforeseen events; the success and financial stability of our concepts’ franchisees, particularly in light of challenging macroeconomic conditions; the success of our development strategy; anticipated benefits from past or potential future acquisitions, investments, other strategic transactions or initiatives, or our portfolio business model; our significant exposure to the Chinese market; our global operations and related exposure to geopolitical instability, including the Middle East conflict as well as potential expansion of trade policies; foreign currency risks and foreign exchange controls; our ability to protect the integrity or availability of IT systems or the security of confidential information and other cybersecurity risks; compliance with data privacy and data protection legal requirements; our ability to successfully implement technology initiatives, including utilization of artificial intelligence; our increasing dependence on digital commerce platforms; the impact of social media; our ability to protect our trademarks or other intellectual property; shortages or interruptions in the availability and the delivery of food, equipment and other supplies; the loss of key personnel, labor shortages and increased labor costs, including as a result of state and local legislation related to wages and working conditions; changes in food prices and other operating costs; our corporate reputation, the value and perception of our brands and changes in consumer preferences and wellness trends; evolving expectations and requirements with respect to social and environmental sustainability matters; adverse effects of severe weather and climate change; pending or future litigation and legal claims or proceedings; changes in, or noncompliance with, legal requirements; tax matters, including changes in tax rates or laws, impositions of new taxes, tax implications of our restructurings, or disagreements with taxing authorities; changes in consumer discretionary spending and macroeconomic conditions, including inflationary pressures and elevated interest rates; competition within the retail food industry; risks relating to our level of indebtedness. In addition, other risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial could affect the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements should be evaluated with the understanding of their inherent uncertainty.

The forward-looking statements included in this announcement are only made as of the date of this announcement and we disclaim any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. You should consult our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including the information set forth under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements” in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q) for additional detail about factors that could affect our financial and other results.

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, and its subsidiaries franchise or operate a system of over 60,000 restaurants in more than 155 countries and territories under the company’s concepts – KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill. The Company's KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands are global leaders of the chicken, Mexican-style food, and pizza categories, respectively. Habit Burger & Grill is a fast casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. In 2024, Yum! was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America, and the company was recognized among TIME Magazine’s list of Best Companies for Future Leaders, Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies and USA Today’s America’s Climate Leaders. Yum! also received widespread recognition in 2023, including being listed on the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for Diversity. In addition, KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands were ranked in the top five of Entrepreneur’s Top Global Franchises Ranking for 2023.

Category: Earnings

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