Yum Brands Q1 adjusted profit rises 15%, beats estimates

Yum! Brands

29/04/2026 12:10

Overview

Global fast-food operator's Q1 adjusted EPS rose 15% yr/yr, beating analyst expectations

Company Q1 system sales grew 6% excluding foreign currency translation

Record digital system sales mix reached 63% in Q1

Outlook

Yum! Brands targets 5% unit growth over the long term

Company aims for 7% system sales growth, excluding F/X, over an extended period

Yum! Brands expects at least 8% core operating profit growth long term

Result Drivers

TACO BELL SALES - Taco Bell same-store sales grew 8%, outpacing the QSR industry, according to CEO Chris Turner

KFC UNIT GROWTH - KFC unit count increased 7% with 648 gross new restaurants opened across 45 countries

DIGITAL SALES MIX - Digital system sales reached a record 63% of total system sales in Q1

Company press release: ID:nBw85qVtFa

Key Details

Metric
Beat/Miss
Actual
Consensus Estimate
Q1 Adjusted EPS
Beat
$1.50
$1.38 (26 Analysts)
Q1 EPS
$1.55
Q1 KFC Operating Margin
43.60%
Q1 KFC Operating Profit
$383 mln


Analyst Coverage

The current average analyst rating on the shares is "buy" and the breakdown of recommendations is 14 "strong buy" or "buy", 17 "hold" and no "sell" or "strong sell"

The average consensus recommendation for the restaurants & bars peer group is "buy"

Wall Street's median 12-month price target for Yum! Brands Inc is $174.00, about 11.2% above its April 28 closing price of $156.46

The stock recently traded at 23 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 23 three months ago

For questions concerning the data in this report, contact Estimates.Support@lseg.com. For any other questions or feedback, contact reuters.support@thomsonreuters.com.

(This story was created using Reuters automation and AI based on LSEG and company data. It was checked and edited by a Reuters journalist prior to publication.)