12 Best Pizza Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds

3. YUM! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)

Hedge Fund Holders: 34

YUM! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) operates around 58,000 restaurants in 155 countries and territories under four operating segments: Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill Divisions. Its Pizza Hut concept specializes in the sale of ready-to-eat pizzas.

Although the company is facing a complex consumer environment due to the conflict in the Middle East, it grew profits by 3% year-over-year. Taco Bell US and KFC International are the two primary growth engines for the company. In fiscal Q3 2024, Taco Bell US outperformed the industry on comparable sales, and KFC International outperformed on unit growth. YUM! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) attained another milestone by surpassing 60,000 restaurants across the globe in fiscal Q3 2024. It increased its unit count by 547 units, reflecting 482 closures and 1,029 gross openings.

It added 63 units to Pizza Hut in fiscal Q3 2024, driven by 292 gross unit openings. New unit openings for the brand were led by India, China, and the United States. YUM! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) is increasing its deployment of AI-driven capabilities to drive growth. This includes consumer feedback dashboards, One Touch labor scheduling and inventory management, quality control monitoring, and AI-driven marketing. It launched AI-driven marketing campaigns in fiscal Q3 2024, increasing consumer engagement and purchases. This innovation has the potential to improve the company’s marketing return on investment and increase its visibility.