Yum Brands earnings top estimates, fueled by Taco Bell's 8% same-store sales growth

yum brands beat wall street estimates on wednesday, with adjusted earnings of $1.50 per share versus $1.38 expected. revenue came in at $2.06 billion, just above the $2.04 billion forecast. taco bell was the star — same-store sales jumped 8%, well ahead of the 5.6% analysts predicted. ceo chris turner called it "outstanding" and said it built off a strong q1 in 2025. yum's overall global same-store sales rose 3%. kfc was a mixed bag. global same-store sales grew 2%, missing the 2.5% estimate. its u.s. business is still struggling — system sales fell 2% — so kfc is borrowing taco bell's playbook on innovation and affordability. pizza hut reported flat global same-store sales, with u.s. stores down 4%. analysts had expected a 0.7% decline. yum is still exploring strategic options for the chain, with apollo and sycamore partners among potential buyers.