Even in the midst of an economic crisis, Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM), the operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell fast-food chains, remains largely unruffled by the slowdown and plans to accelerate its expansion in India with an investment plan of about $150 million.   Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum!, which operates about 150 Pizza Hut and 65 KFC outlets in India, plans to increase its restaurant count to 1,000 by 2015 with planned openings across 60 cities, requiring a strength of about 50,000 staff, five times more than the current level. The company plans to open its first Taco Bell restaurant in Bangalore by the end of 2009.   The Indian market has been virtually recession-proof providing ample growth opportunities. Yum! plans to tap India's organized food and beverage market, which is growing rapidly by about 25% to 30% annually, but is even less than 1% of the ...

The operator of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC fast food chains -- Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM) -- recently reported better-than-expected third-quarter 2009 results buoyed by commodity deflation, lower costs and strong performance by its China division. Yum!’s quarterly earnings of 70 cents a share (excluding special charges) comfortably surpasses the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 59 cents, and surged 21.0% year-on-year from 58 cents posted in the prior-year quarter. Lower labor (down 9.0%) and food costs (down 7.0%), slide in G&A expenses (down 9.0%), and operating profit growth in both China (up 32.0%; up 31.0% excluding FX [foreign exchange] impact) and the U.S. (up 18.0%) divisions drove the earnings. These were partially offset by a 13.0% decline in Yum! Restaurants International Division’s (YRI) operating profit and a negative impact of 2 cents a share from foreign currency translation. The strength in the China division and ...

  After McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) announced an increase in its quarterly dividend by 10% to 55 cents a share last week, another fast food company, Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM) followed the suit. Yum!, the operator of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC fast food chains, recently raised its quarterly dividend by 11% to 21 cents a share. This marks the fifth annual increase since the inception of dividend program in 2004. Since then, the company has returned over $1 billion to shareholders. The increased dividend is payable on Nov. 6, 2009 to shareholders of record as on Oct. 16, 2009. Yum!’s Board of Directors also authorized the company to repurchase shares worth $300 million. Over a decade, the company has returned more than $6 billion to shareholders via share buybacks. We believe that despite economic headwinds, Yum! is actively managing its capital, returning much ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 24, 2009 – Zacks Equity Research highlights Yum! Brands (YUM) as the Bull of the Day and Sunoco (SUN) the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Sherwin Williams (SHW), La-Z-Boy (LZB) and Mohawk (MHK).

Full analysis of all these stocks is available at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2676

Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:

Bull of the Day:

The operator of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC fast food chains, Yum! Brands (YUM), reported second quarter results, with double-digit growth in the bottom-line. Earnings per share grew 11% to 50 cents, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 43 cents

Driving growth is the company's overseas divisions (China and Yum Restaurants International), which constitute the only stable segment of the entire restaurant industry. Both the divisions are on track to grow

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - April 24, 2009 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: eBay, Inc. (EBAY), Qualcomm, Inc. (QCOM), Broadcom Corp. (BRCM), Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM) and Texas Capital Bancshares Inc. (TCBI).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579.

Here are highlights from Thursday's Analyst Blog:

eBay Beats on Top & Bottom Lines

After the bell today, eBay, Inc. (EBAY) reported better-than-expected results for the first quarter, beating on the top and bottom lines. The company reported net revenue of $2.02 billion, well above our estimate of

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Highlights include Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM) and McDonald's Corp. (MCD).Yum! - Growth in China & Cost Cuts Drive EarningsYum! Brands Inc. (YUM) is on track to meet or exceed its earnings growth guidance of 10% in 2009.After the market closed yesterday, the operator of the Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC fast food chains reported that 1Q09 EPS excluding special charges grew 14% to $0.48 for 1Q09, surpassing our estimate of $0.42 and the consensus of $0.40.Stringent cost controls, moderating commodity prices, unit expansion, share repurchases and modest same-store sales growth more than offset the negative effect ($0.02) of currency translation.Cost containment was particularly impressive in an environment of moderating same-store sales. As a percentage of company-owned unit sales, labor contracted 170 basis points, occupancy declined 80 basis points, and G&A expenses fell 270 basis points....

According to the Hong Kong-listed Chinese hotpot restaurant chain Little Sheep, the American restaurant group Yum plans to invest HKD493 million to acquire a 19.99% stake in Little Sheep. Yum, the owner of restaurant brands such as Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC, will become the second largest shareholder of Little Sheep after the transaction is [...]

Despite what you might be hearing about a global recession, consumer capitalism is alive and well in China. And it’s still fueling growth. Take a stroll through Beijing’s trendy Wangfujing area, a quick walk south of Tiananmen Square or the six-story Shin Kong Place in Beijing’s Dawanglu area, and you’ll find more than 100 top international designer brands on sale, including Prada, Gucci, Bvlgari, Dolce & Gabbana, and others. While you’re on the prowl, don’t forget Xidan Market, which the locals prefer. It’s also bursting at the seams from countless stores, fashionable-clothing shops and, of course, the ubiquitous and ever-present Starbucks (SBUX). In contrast to other global markets, like the Ginza, Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive or London’s Oxford Street, for example, where a heavy silence hangs over the once-bustling ...

The World Health Organization says that 25% of Chinese are now overweight and it blames the growing popularity of western foods in China.I don't believe those numbers one bit. I've seen a fair amount of overweight people in Japan and India....but very few in China. I do agree that western foods are becoming very popular in China. Especially KFC and Pizza Hut.

This Thursday, 07/17/08, Yum! Brands, Inc.  (Public, NYSE:YUM) will host its Q2 Earnings Call. Yum! Brands, which owns, operates, licenses and franchises the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, LJS and A&W brands on an international level, has fallen -12% since May first. What I like about YUM brands is its so recession proof. Where else can you get a meal for under $5? Not the grocery store these days. But their international exposure is where the growth is. One of Yum! Brands key business strategies are to drive profitable international growth. In 2007, ...