Yum! Brands 10-Q 2026-06-30

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the transition period from ____________ to _________________

Commission file number 1-13163

YUM! BRANDS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No x

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s Common Stock as of July 30, 2026, was 272,901,085 shares.

YUM! BRANDS, INC.

INDEX

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

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Introduction and Overview

The following Management's Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”), should be read in conjunction with the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (“Financial Statements”), the Forward-Looking Statements and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, (“2025 Form 10-K”). All Note references herein refer to the Notes to the Financial Statements. Tabular amounts are displayed in millions of U.S. dollars except per share and unit count amounts, or as otherwise specifically identified.

Yum! Brands, Inc. and its Subsidiaries (collectively referred to herein as the “Company,” “YUM,” “we,” “us” or “our”) franchise or operate a system of over 64,000 restaurants in 157 countries and territories, primarily under the concepts of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and The Habit Burger & Grill (collectively, the “Concepts”). The Company’s KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands are global leaders of the chicken, Mexican-inspired and pizza categories, respectively. The Habit Burger & Grill, is a fast-casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. Of the over 64,000 restaurants, 97% are operated by franchisees.

YUM currently consists of four operating segments:

• The KFC Division which includes our worldwide operations of the KFC concept

• The Taco Bell Division which includes our worldwide operations of the Taco Bell concept

• The Pizza Hut Division which includes our worldwide operations of the Pizza Hut concept

• The Habit Burger & Grill Division which includes our worldwide operations of the Habit Burger & Grill concept

In 2025, we began a review of strategic options for the Pizza Hut brand. The objective of the review was to create value for YUM, Pizza Hut and its franchise partners by determining the optimal approach to best capitalize on Pizza Hut's structural advantages — strong brand equity, experienced franchise partners and meaningful scale — in the highly fragmented pizza market. In June 2026, we entered into two definitive agreements to sell the Pizza Hut brand thereby completing this review (see Note 3 for discussion regarding the agreements).

Through our Recipe for Good Growth, our mission is to grow iconic restaurant brands globally that are loved, trusted and connected:

Loved: We grow by delighting customers with craveable food and a distinctive experience.

Trusted: We operate responsibly with consistency and efficiency in our restaurants, across our system and in our communities. This includes a commitment to our priorities for social responsibility, risk management and sustainable stewardship of resources.

Connected: We use our teamwork, technology and global scale to serve every customer, everywhere, anytime.

In 2026 and beyond, we intend to drive the next chapter of growth for YUM by Raising the B.A.R. through three clear priorities that reflect bold aspirations and a commitment to industry-leading performance:

• B**attle for the future consumer by staying relentlessly focused on their needs and wants.

• A**ccelerate restaurant unit economics for our franchisees and maximize performance of every restaurant, serving as a catalyst for new unit development and keeping our franchise system healthy.

• R**each the full potential of Byte by Yum! by effectively operating, innovating and expanding our connected platform built by restaurant operators for restaurant operators to unlock its full potential for our franchise partners and our business.

Key to our success fueling brand performance and franchise success is our unrivaled culture and talent and leading with smart, heart and courage.

We intend to drive long-term growth and shareholder returns primarily through consistent same-store sales growth and new unit development across all of our Concepts. We intend to support this growth and development through a capital and operating structure that:

• Invests capital in a manner consistent with an asset light, franchisor model;

• Allocates G&A in an efficient manner that provides leverage to operating profit growth while at the same time opportunistically investing in strategic growth initiatives;

• Targets a consolidated net leverage ratio that balances shareholder returns, cost of capital and flexibility against various risk factors; and

• Maximizes shareholder return through a combination of paying a competitive dividend and returning excess cash flow through share repurchases.

We intend for this MD&A to provide the reader with information that will assist in understanding our results of operations, including performance metrics that management uses to assess the Company's performance. Throughout this MD&A, we commonly discuss the following performance metrics:

• Same-store sales growth is the estimated percentage change in system sales of all restaurants that have been open and in the YUM system for one year or more, including those temporarily closed. From time-to-time restaurants may be temporarily closed due to remodeling or image enhancement, rebuilding, natural disasters, health epidemic or pandemic, landlord disputes, boycotts, social or civil unrest or other issues. The system sales of restaurants we deem temporarily closed remain in our base for purposes of determining same-store sales growth and the restaurants remain in our unit count (see below). We believe same-store sales growth is useful to investors because our results are heavily dependent on the results of our Concepts' existing store base. Additionally, same-store sales growth is reflective of the strength of our Brands, the effectiveness of our operational and advertising initiatives and local economic and consumer trends.

• Gross unit openings reflects new openings by us and our franchisees. Net new unit growth reflects gross unit openings offset by permanent store closures, by us and our franchisees. To determine whether a restaurant meets the definition of a unit we consider whether the restaurant has operations that are ongoing and independent from another YUM unit, serves the primary product of one of our Concepts, operates under a separate franchise agreement (if operated by a franchisee) and has substantial and sustainable sales. We believe gross unit openings and net new unit growth are useful to investors because we depend on new units for a significant portion of our growth. Additionally, gross unit openings and net new unit growth are generally reflective of the economic returns to us and our franchisees from opening and operating our Concept restaurants.

• System sales and System sales excluding the impacts of foreign currency translation (“FX”) reflect the results of all restaurants regardless of ownership, including Company-owned and franchise restaurants. Sales at franchise restaurants typically generate ongoing franchise and license fees for the Company at a rate of 3% to 6% of sales. Increasingly, customers are paying a fee to a third party to deliver or facilitate the ordering of our Concepts' products. We also include in System sales any portion of the amount customers pay these third parties for which the third party is obligated to pay us a license fee as a percentage of such amount. Franchise restaurant sales and fees paid by customers to third parties to deliver or facilitate the ordering of our Concepts' products are not included in Company sales on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income; however, any resulting franchise and license fees we receive are included in the Company's revenues. We believe System sales growth is useful to investors as a significant indicator of the overall strength of our business as it incorporates our primary revenue drivers, Company and franchise same-store sales as well as net new unit growth.

In addition to the results provided in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”), the Company provides the following non-GAAP measure

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There were no material changes during the quarter ended June 30, 2026, to the disclosures made in Item 7A of the Company’s 2025 Form 10-K.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on the evaluation, performed under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO”) and the Chief Financial Officer (the “CFO”), the Company’s management, including the CEO and CFO, concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by the report.

Changes in Internal Control

There were no changes with respect to the Company’s internal control over financial reporting or in other factors that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended June 30, 2026.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements can generally 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. Forward-looking 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 will be achieved. Factors that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from our expectations and forward-looking statements include (i) the factors described in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in Part I, Item 2 of this report, (ii) any risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors included in Part II, Item 1A of this report, (iii) the factors described in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in Part II, Item 7 of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and (iv) the risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors included in Part I, Item 1A of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We are not undertaking to update any of these statements.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors

Yum! Brands, Inc.:

Results of Review of Interim Financial Information

We have reviewed the condensed consolidated balance sheets of Yum! Brands, Inc. and subsidiaries (YUM) as of June 30, 2026, the related condensed consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, and shareholders’ deficit for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2025, the related condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2026 and June 30, 2025, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated interim financial information). Based on our reviews, we are not aware of any material modifications that should be made to the consolidated interim financial information for it to be in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We have previously audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of YUM as of December 31, 2025, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, cash flows, and shareholders’ deficit for the year then ended (not presented herein); and in our report dated February 20, 2026, we expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements. In our opinion, the information set forth in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2025 is fairly stated, in all material respects, in relation to the consolidated balance sheets from which it has been derived.

Basis for Review Results

This consolidated interim financial information is the responsibility of YUM’s management. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to YUM in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our reviews in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. A review of consolidated interim financial information consists principally of applying analytical procedures and making inquiries of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters. It is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB, the objective of which is the expression of an opinion regarding the financial statements taken as a whole. Accordingly, we do not express such an opinion.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Louisville, Kentucky

August 4, 2026

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION AND SIGNATURES

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

Information regarding legal proceedings is incorporated by reference from Note 15 to the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in Part I of this report.

We face a variety of risks that are inherent in our business and our industry, including operational, legal, regulatory and product risks. Such risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, expectations and historical trends. Information about our most significant risk factors is disclosed in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. At June 30, 2026, there have been no material changes to this information, except for the expanded discussion around the multistate outbreak of Cyclospora, included below.

Food safety and food- or beverage-borne illness concerns may have an adverse effect on our business and/or our growth prospects.

Food or beverage-borne illnesses (that can be caused by food-borne pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Cyclospora and Trichinosis) and food safety issues (such as food tampering and contamination including with respect to allergens or adulteration) have occurred and may occur within our system from time to time. For example, in July 2026, there was a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora and Taco Bell U.S. removed certain lettuce from its nationwide supply chain that was later recalled by its vendor. Any report linking our or our Concepts’ franchisees’ restaurants, our suppliers or distributors or otherwise involving the types of products used at our restaurants, or linking our competitors, suppliers, distributors or the retail food industry generally, to instances of food- or beverage-borne illness or food safety issues or substances having perceived health or environmental risks have resulted and could result in adverse publicity and otherwise adversely affect us and lead to consumer complaints, litigation and/or governmental investigations. There is also a risk that we or our Concepts’ franchisees’ restaurants, suppliers or distributors underreport food safety incidents or system failures, which could hinder response and tracking of such risks. Moreover, our Concepts’ restaurants' reliance on third-party food suppliers and distributors and increasing reliance on food delivery aggregators may increase the risk that food- or beverage-borne illness incidents and food safety issues could be caused by factors outside of our control. If a customer is believed to have become ill from food or beverage-borne illnesses or as a result of food safety issues, remediation efforts could include temporary closure of restaurants, which could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our reputation, business and/or our growth prospects. The occurrence of food-borne pathogens in restaurant products or food safety issues could also adversely affect the price and availability of affected ingredients, which could result in disruptions in our supply chain and/or lower margins for us and our Concepts’ franchisees. In addition, the health and environmental risks of certain ubiquitous substances (including per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)) commonly found in packaging have been the subject of increased regulatory scrutiny and lawsuits against us and other restaurant companies.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

The following table provides information as of June 30, 2026, with respect to shares of Common Stock repurchased by the Company during the quarter then ended:

In May 2024, our Board of Directors authorized share repurchases of up to $2 billion (excluding applicable transaction fees and excise taxes) of our outstanding Common Stock through December 31, 2026. In June 2026, our Board of Directors authorized share repurchases of up to $4 billion (excluding applicable transaction fees and excise taxes) of our outstanding Common Stock from the earlier of the exhaustion or expiration of the May 2024 authorization through June 30, 2028. As of June 30, 2026, we have remaining capacity to repurchase up to $0.4 billion of Common Stock under the May 2024 authorization.

Securities Trading Plans

During the three months ended June 30, 2026, none of the Company’s directors or executive officers adopted or terminated any contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of Company securities that was intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c) or any “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” as defined in Item 408 (c) of Regulation S-K, except as follows:

(1)On May 21, 2026, Tracy Skeans, Chief Operating Officer and Chief People & Culture Officer, modified a trading arrangement she had previously adopted with respect to the sale of securities of the Company's common stock (a "Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan"). Ms. Skeans' initial Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan was adopted on February 7, 2026. The modification reduced the number of shares covered by 3,495 shares. The plan includes a minimum 90-day cooling off period from the date of modification.

(2)Represents the number of shares of common stock specified in the modified plan.

(3)Represents the number of shares of common stock underlying the stock appreciation rights awards specified in the modified plan. The actual number of shares of common stock to be received and sold following the exercise of the awards will depend upon the appreciation in the value of the awards and the number of shares withheld for any taxes.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized officer of the registrant.