Welcome to our dedicated page for Yum! Brands news (Ticker: YUM), a resource for investors and traders seeking the latest updates and insights on Yum! Brands stock.
Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) is the world's largest restaurant company, boasting a portfolio that includes renowned brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill. With over 39,000 restaurants in more than 130 countries and territories, Yum! Brands serves millions of customers globally and employs over 1 million associates.
Founded as a division of PepsiCo and formerly known as Tricon, Yum! Brands generates significant revenue primarily through franchise royalties and marketing contributions. This business model has proved successful, with the company achieving $64 billion in systemwide sales in 2023. Yum! Brands is 98% franchised, with Yum China, its largest franchisee, spun out in 2016. Despite this separation, Yum China continues to pay 3% royalties to Yum! Brands.
Yum! Brands is an industry leader in the fast-food sector, with KFC specializing in chicken, Pizza Hut in pizza, Taco Bell in Mexican-style food, and The Habit Burger Grill in burgers. The company is second in global sales, trailing only McDonald's but surpassing Restaurant Brands International and Starbucks. As of year-end 2023, KFC operated 29,900 units, Pizza Hut 19,866 units, Taco Bell 8,564 units, and The Habit Burger Grill 381 units.
Known for its unique corporate culture, Yum! Brands emphasizes fun, recognition, and career development. The company invests heavily in its workforce to maximize their career potential, creating a diverse and inclusive environment where employees can thrive both personally and professionally.
Yum! Brands is also at the forefront of technological innovation in the fast-food industry. Led by Joe Park, the Chief Digital and Technology Officer, the company is leveraging artificial intelligence to transform its operations across all brands. By 2024, about 45% of Yum!'s sales were digital, highlighting a significant shift from traditional sales channels.
On the product front, Yum! Brands continuously innovates to meet consumer demands. For example, Pizza Hut recently introduced the Cheeseburger Melt, a unique fusion of pizza and burger elements, while KFC launched new Saucy Nuggets flavors for a limited time. Taco Bell, through its Live Más Scholarship program, is also investing in the future success of young people by awarding $10 million in scholarships in 2024.
Yum! Brands is not just about food; it's about community engagement and social responsibility. The company is involved in numerous initiatives, such as KFC’s Add Hope program in South Africa, which supports children's education and well-being.
Overall, Yum! Brands, Inc. stands out for its extensive global reach, innovative approach to technology and food, and commitment to a positive workplace culture and community impact.
Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM) has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.67 per share of common stock, payable on September 6, 2024 to shareholders of record as of August 27, 2024. The company, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, operates over 59,000 restaurants across more than 155 countries under its brands KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and The Habit Burger Grill. Yum! Brands has received notable recognition in 2024, including its eighth consecutive inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America and listings in TIME Magazine's Best Companies for Future Leaders and Newsweek's America's Most Responsible Companies.
Taco Bell International, with over 1,100 restaurants in 31 countries outside the US, is launching "The Summer of International" campaign to showcase its global expansion and employee experiences. Daniel F., Director of Technology for Taco Bell International, is featured as an example of the company's global reach and employee growth opportunities. Daniel's journey includes working on consumer experiences and living in Singapore for a year before taking on his current role, which involves traveling worldwide to support the brand's technological growth.
This initiative highlights Taco Bell's commitment to cultural relevance, innovation, and global brand building. The campaign will share personal stories, international adventures, and career growth experiences of Taco Bell's international team members, demonstrating the company's "Restless Creativity" spirit in expanding its global presence.
The KFC Foundation is awarding $1 million in grants to 100 community-based non-profit organizations this year. In the current cycle, $260,000 will fund projects aimed at improving health and well-being across 19 different states. Notable recipients include:
1. Count Basie Center for the Arts (NJ): Establishing a barrier-free dance studio
2. Neighbor Up Brevard (FL): Installing a new playground and refurbishing a basketball court
3. Treehouse Therapies (OR): Transforming a small farm into a pediatric therapy clinic
4. Turnstone Center (IN): Renovating an adaptive playground and creating an outdoor learning classroom
The next grant cycle, focusing on caring for the environment and animals, will run from September 16-30. Non-profit organizations can apply at kfcfoundation.org/wishes.
Yum! Brands, parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and The Habit Burger Grill, has donated over 215 million pounds of food to more than 5,000 charity partners in 25+ countries since 1992. This initiative, known as Harvest, was started by Pizza Hut and is run by Food Donation Connection (FDC). The program not only feeds those in need but also reduces landfill waste and carbon emissions.
Key highlights include:
- KFC's 25th anniversary with Harvest in the US
- KFC UK's partnership with Fareshare, providing 1 million meals in 3 years
- Positive impact on employee retention and community engagement
- Goal to double food donations from test kitchens in 2024
Yum! Brands aims to continue leading in the food donation space, addressing hunger issues and climate change while providing purpose to team members.
KFC has announced a partnership with Plan International to support youth employability on International Youth Day. The collaboration aims to empower young people, especially girls and persons with disabilities, to pursue their professional dreams through tailored training and resources. The partnership has four key objectives:
- Providing pathways for decent work
- Developing market-driven skills
- Fostering an authentic work environment
- Promoting positive social norms about youth as economic actors
KFC will contribute to Plan International's Skills & Work Fund, co-develop best practice guides, and offer corporate office experiences. This initiative builds on KFC's existing youth employability efforts in Thailand and the UK, including the Bucket Search program and the Hatch employability program.
KFC is expanding its $5 Value Menu with new Taste of KFC Deals, offering customers more affordable options. The menu now includes:
- NEW: 8 Original Recipe Chicken Nuggets with fries and 2 sauces
- NEW: Famous Bowl with Chicken Nuggets
- Two-Piece Drum & Thigh meal
KFC continues to offer the $10 Tuesdays deal (8 pieces of chicken) and the $20 Family Deal. New digital-exclusive offers include a 40-Piece Saucy Nuggets Party Pack for $19.99, Sandwich + Nuggets Meal for Two at $15, and Five-Piece Chicken on the Bone Meal for Two at $15. Additionally, customers can enjoy 50% off Chicken Sandwiches and FREE DELIVERY on Thursdays during football season when ordering through KFC.com or the KFC app.
KFC is launching three new Saucy Nuggets flavors starting August 12, 2024: Honey Garlic, Chipotle Ranch, and Mango Habanero. These join the existing Korean BBQ and Honey BBQ flavors. To promote the new sauces, KFC is introducing a 'Sauce Serve Truck' that will tour three U.S. cities, offering free nugget samples and merchandise.
KFC is also offering several deals, including 10 Saucy Nuggets for $5.99, free 10-piece Saucy Nuggets with a $10+ digital purchase, and a 40-piece Saucy Nuggets Party Pack for $19.99 as a digital exclusive. The company aims to strengthen its position in the competitive sauce market, emphasizing its 100% white meat nuggets hand-breaded with KFC's Original Recipe.
Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) reported second-quarter results for the period ended June 30, 2024. Highlights include:
- Worldwide system sales grew 3% excluding foreign currency translation
- GAAP operating profit increased 6%, while core operating profit rose 10%
- GAAP EPS was $1.28, and EPS excluding Special Items was $1.35
- Taco Bell saw 5% same-store sales growth and 7% system sales growth
- KFC achieved 8% unit growth and 2% system sales growth
- Pizza Hut had flat system sales growth
The company opened 894 gross new units, increasing its total unit count by 5%. Digital sales reached nearly $8 billion, representing over 50% of total sales. Yum! Brands continues to expect at least 8% core operating profit growth for the year.
Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) highlights Kaitlyn Yocum, CPA, in their #LifeatYUM series, showcasing the company's culture and talent. Kaitlyn, a manager of investor relations, joined Yum! in 2018 after five years in public accounting. She transitioned from Internal Audit to Investor Relations through a short-term assignment, gaining valuable experience in earnings preparation and leadership briefings.
The Investor Relations team at Yum! works closely with leadership on strategic business direction, preparing for earnings calls, shareholder conferences, and investor presentations. Yum! Brands is currently seeking an Associate Manager of Investor Relations to join Kaitlyn's team in Louisville, KY.
Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) is expanding Voice AI technology across Taco Bell drive-thru locations in the U.S., aiming to reach hundreds of stores by the end of 2024. The company plans to implement this technology globally in the future. Currently deployed in over 100 Taco Bell U.S. drive-thrus across 13 states, the Voice AI system is designed to:
- Enhance back-of-house operations
- Improve order accuracy
- Reduce wait times
- Drive profitable growth
The technology integrates with Taco Bell's digital menu boards, Yum! Brands' Poseidon POS system, and the upcoming Taco Bell Rewards loyalty program. In 2023, Yum!'s digital sales approached $30 billion, with over 50% of sales coming through digital channels in Q1 2024.