Yum China Reports Second Quarter 2018 Results

SHANGHAI, Aug. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Yum China Holdings, Inc. (the “Company” or “Yum China“) (NYSE: YUMC) today reported unaudited results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2018. Reported GAAP results include Special Items, which are excluded from adjusted measures.  Special Items are not allocated to any segment and therefore only impact reported GAAP results of Yum China.  See “Reconciliation of Reported GAAP Results to Adjusted Measures” within this release.

Second Quarter Highlights

• Total revenues increased 12% year over year to $2.1 billion from $1.8 billion (5% year over year increase excluding foreign currency translation (“F/X”)).
• Total system sales grew 3% year over year, with 5% growth at KFC partially offset by 1% decline at Pizza Hut, excluding F/X.
• Same-store sales declined 1% year over year, with flat same-store sales at KFC and a 4% decrease at Pizza Hut, excluding F/X.
• Restaurant margin was 15.1%, as compared with 16.6% in the prior year period.
• Operating Profit increased 13% year over year to $193 million from $171 million (5% year over year increase excluding F/X).
• Net Income increased 14% to $143 million from $125 million in the prior year period (6% year over year increase excluding F/X).
• Effective tax rate was 26.0%.
• Diluted EPS was $0.36, as compared with $0.31 in the prior year period.
• Repurchased approximately 1.9 million shares for $73.4 million at an average price of $38.41 per share.
• Opened 164 new restaurants during the quarter, bringing total store count to 8,198 across more than 1,200 cities.

Digital and Delivery

• As of June 30, 2018, the KFC loyalty program had more than 135 million members and the Pizza Hut loyalty program had over 45 million members, an increase of 50 million and 20 million, respectively, year over year.
• Mobile payments accounted for approximately 63% of Company sales in the quarter, an increase of 21 percentage points year over year.
• Delivery contributed to 16% of Company sales in the second quarter of 2018, an increase of 3 percentage points year over year. Delivery services now available in over 1,000 cities, up from 800 cities in the prior year period.

Key Financial Results

CEO and CFO Comments

“KFC achieved 5% system sales growth in the second quarter as a result of solid business fundamentals and accelerated new store development.  We are on track to add 600-650 new stores, led by KFC, by the end of the year.  This growth strategy will set us up for long-term growth in both profitability and market share.  We are confident in the sustainability of KFC’s leader position in the QSR market in China.  While Pizza Hut continued to face challenges in China’s competitive casual dining space, we added new talent to our team and made progress repositioning the brand with our target customers. We remain dedicated to revitalizing the brand and strongly believe that our initiatives including delivering more innovative products and introducing new store formats will restore the brand to the level of consistent growth that our shareholders expect,” said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China.

“Yum China reported total revenues and operating profit growth of 12% and 13% respectively in the second quarter. We will continue to invest in strengthening our core competencies as well as building delivery, digital and data capabilities to capture online and offline opportunities and drive future growth,” added Ms. Wat.

“In an increasingly competitive environment, we stepped up food investment and promotional activities, which inevitably had some pressure on our margins. This reflects our strategic decision to invest in our brands for long-term market share gain. Our business continues to generate substantial free cash flow, and during the second quarter, we returned over $110 million of cash to our shareholders through share buyback and dividends. We remain committed to creating enduring value for our stockholders,” remarked Jacky Lo, CFO of Yum China. 

Dividend and Share Repurchase

• The Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.10 per share on Yum China’s common stock, payable as of the close of business on September 19, 2018 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 29, 2018.
• During the second quarter, we repurchased approximately 1.9 million shares of Yum China common stock for $73.4 million at an average price of $38.41 per share.

New-Unit Development and Asset Upgrade

• The Company opened 164 new restaurants and remodeled 365 restaurants in the second quarter of 2018.

Restaurant Margin

• In the second quarter of 2018, Yum China restaurant margin was 15.1%, as compared with 16.6% in the prior year period, primarily attributable to Pizza Hut sales deleverage and investment in product upgrades and promotions for both KFC and Pizza Hut.

Conference Call

Yum China Holdings, Inc. will host a conference call to review the Company’s financial performance and strategies at 8:00 p.m. US Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 1, 2018 (8:00 a.m. Beijing/HK time on Thursday, August 2, 2018).  A copy of the presentation will be available on the Yum China Holdings, Inc. website, http://ir.yumchina.com

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until Thursday August 9, 2018:

The webcast and the playback can be accessed via the internet by visiting the Yum China Holdings, Inc. website, http://ir.yumchina.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “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,” “project,” “likely,” “will,” “continue,” “should,” “forecast,” “outlook” or similar terminology. These statements are based on current estimates and assumptions made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that we believe are appropriate and reasonable under the circumstances, but there can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future business plans, earnings and performance of Yum China, statements regarding the revitalization of Pizza Hut, anticipated effects of population and macroeconomic trends, statements regarding the capital structure of Yum China, and beliefs regarding the long-term drivers of Yum China’s business. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and could cause our actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by those statements. We cannot assure you that any of our expectations, estimates or assumptions will be achieved. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are only made as of the date of this press release, and we disclaim any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. Numerous factors could cause our actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: whether we are able to achieve development goals at the times and in the amounts currently anticipated, if at all, the success of our marketing campaigns and product innovation, our ability to maintain food safety and quality control systems, our ability to control costs and expenses, including tax costs, as well as changes in political, economic and regulatory conditions in China. 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. 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 Annual Report on Form 10-K) for additional detail about factors that could affect our financial and other results.

About Yum China Holdings, Inc.

Yum China Holdings, Inc. is a licensee of Yum! Brands in mainland China. It has exclusive rights in mainland China to KFC, China’s leading quick-service restaurant brand, Pizza Hut, the leading casual dining restaurant brand in China, and Taco Bell, a California-based restaurant chain serving innovative Mexican-inspired food. Yum China also owns the Little Sheep and East Dawning concepts outright. The Company had more than 8,100 restaurants and more than 460,000 employees in over 1,200 cities at the end of June 2018. For more information, please visit http://ir.yumchina.com