A customer enters a Taco Bell restaurant in El Cerrito, California, US, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. <\/p>\n
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images<\/p>\n
Yum Brands<\/a> on Wednesday reported mixed quarterly results, despite strong demand for Taco Bell.<\/p>\n Here’s what the company reported for the period ended Dec. 31<\/a> compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:<\/p>\n Earnings\u00a0per share: $1.73 adjusted vs. $1.77 expectedRevenue: $2.51 billion vs. $2.45 billion expected<\/p>\n Yum reported fourth-quarter net income of $535 million, or $1.91 per share, up from $423 million, or $1.49 per share, a year earlier.<\/p>\n Excluding tax benefits and other one-time items, the restaurant company earned $1.73 per share.<\/p>\n Net revenue\u00a0rose\u00a06% to $2.51 billion.<\/p>\n Yum’s global same-store sales increased 3%, fueled by strong performance at Taco Bell and in KFC’s international markets. <\/p>\n Taco Bell’s same-store sales spiked 7% in the quarter, topping Wall Street expectations of 5.6% growth, according to StreetAccount. <\/p>\n The Mexican-inspired chain is the gem of Yum’s portfolio, regularly outperforming the broader fast-food industry, thanks to a mix of value offerings and buzzy menu items. <\/p>\n KFC saw its global same-store sales rise 3%. The fried chicken chain’s international locations reported same-store sales growth of 3%, while restaurants in the U.S. saw a same-store sales increase of 1%. KFC has been undergoing a turnaround in its home market, where it has ceded market share to upstarts like Raising Cane’s<\/a> in recent years.<\/p>\n Wall Street analysts had expected KFC to report same-store sales growth of 2.1%, according to StreetAccount. <\/p>\n And once again, Pizza Hut was the laggard of the portfolio. The embattled pizza chain reported that its same-store sales declined 1%, driven by a 3% drop in the U.S. and slightly edging out Wall Street estimates of a 1.7% decline during the period. <\/p>\n