Investment Rating - Buy (Maintained) with a current price of HKD 252.80 [1] Core Views - Yum China (9987 HK) reported H1 2024 revenue of USD 5 637 billion, up 1% YoY (or 5% excluding foreign exchange impact), with net profit attributable to shareholders of USD 499 million, up 3% YoY [4] - Core operating margin for H1 2024 was 11 4%, down 0 1 percentage points YoY [4] - Q2 2024 revenue was USD 2 679 billion, up 1% YoY (or 4% excluding foreign exchange impact), with net profit attributable to shareholders of USD 212 million, up 8% YoY [4] - System sales in Q2 2024 increased by 4% YoY (KFC/Pizza Hut up 5%/1% respectively), while same-store sales declined by 4% (KFC/Pizza Hut down 3%/8% respectively) due to lower average spending per customer [4] - Net addition of 401 stores in Q2 2024 (KFC/Pizza Hut added 328/79 stores respectively), with total store count reaching 15,423 (KFC/Pizza Hut at 10,931/3,504 stores respectively) [4] - Company maintains guidance of 1,500-1,700 net new stores in 2024 and a target of 20,000 total stores by 2026 [4] Financial Performance - H1 2024 restaurant margin was 16 6%, down 1 7 percentage points YoY (KFC/Pizza Hut at 17 8%/12 8%, down 2 1/0 5 percentage points respectively) [4] - Q2 2024 restaurant margin was 15 5%, down 0 6 percentage points YoY (KFC/Pizza Hut at 16 2%/13 2%, down 1 1/up 0 8 percentage points respectively) [5] - Food and packaging costs as a percentage of restaurant revenue increased to 31 8% in H1 2024, up 1 4 percentage points YoY [4] - Salaries and employee benefits as a percentage of restaurant revenue increased to 25 8% in H1 2024, up 0 3 percentage points YoY [4] Strategic Initiatives - Pizza Hut WOW stores, targeting young and price-sensitive consumers, launched in May 2024 with over 200 stores expected by year-end [5] - K Coffee stores expanded rapidly from 100 in March 2024 to nearly 300 in July 2024, with a target of 500-600 stores by year-end [5] - K Coffee sold nearly 100 million cups in H1 2024, showing strong growth potential [5] - Project Fresh Eye and Project Red Eye initiatives implemented to reduce unnecessary items and lower costs, with positive effects seen in Q2 2024 [5] Valuation and Forecast - 2024-2026 net profit attributable to shareholders forecast revised down to USD 862/931/1,031 million (down 3%/6%/7% respectively) [6] - EPS for 2024-2026 estimated at USD 2 24/2 42/2 68 [6] - Current share price implies 2024-2026 P/E multiples of 14x/13x/12x [6] - KFC and Pizza Hut still have room for growth in lower-tier cities, with small-store models aiding expansion [6] - Coffee business is seen as a new growth driver for the company [6] Market Data - Total shares outstanding: 385 million [2] - Market capitalization: HKD 97 428 billion [2] - 1-year low/high: HKD 225 20/454 70 [2] - 3-month turnover rate: 272 41% [2]
百胜中国：2024年半年报点评：重视性价比，持续推动效率提升