LKNCY vs LOCO vs YUMC Stock Comparison

Luckin Coffee, El Pollo Loco Holdings and Yum China Holdings Prices as of Nov 3, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LKNCY Luckin Coffee Inc.
$32.48 -2.2% 1M -18.0% 1Y
Market cap
$11.19B
P/E
17.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.56B
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
6 wins
LOCO El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.
$15.55 +9.4% 1M +51.0% 1Y
Market cap
$489.91M
P/E
14.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$500.79M
Div. yield
–
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
2 wins
YUMC Yum China Holdings, Inc.
$47.85 +19.7% 1M +8.8% 1Y
Market cap
$17.27B
P/E
17.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$12.44B
Div. yield
0.02%
Quick-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Luckin Coffee leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Luckin Coffee 6, Yum China Holdings 3, El Pollo Loco Holdings 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionLKNCYLOCOYUMCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.19B $489.91M $17.27B YUMC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 17.9x 14.0x 17.7x LOCO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 15.0x 16.0x 15.7x LKNCY
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +33.7% +4.4% +8.8% LKNCY
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 7.3% 7.0% 7.8% YUMC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 32.4% 10.8% 16.5% LKNCY
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -2.1x 0.2x -0.7x LKNCY
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.02% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -18.0% +51.0% +8.8% LOCO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +17.1%/yr +0.7%/yr -3.2%/yr LKNCY
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 43.4% 34.8% 25.8% YUMC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 84/100 59/100 73/100 LKNCY

Percentile Scorecard

LKNCYLOCOYUMC

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisLKNCYLOCOYUMC
Valuation 76 #13 of 50 90 #6 of 50 67 #17 of 50
Growth 94 #4 of 48 79 #11 of 48 49 #25 of 48
Profitability 83 #9 of 47 57 #21 of 47 65 #17 of 47
Financial Health 86 #8 of 51 68 #17 of 51 88 #7 of 51
Shareholder Returns – 0 #33 of 33 94 #3 of 33
Overall 84 59 73
  • LKNCY ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • LOCO ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • YUMC ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodLKNCYLOCOYUMCSPY
1 month -2.2%+9.4%+19.7% -2.0%
3 months -12.2%-5.9%-0.1% -2.2%
6 months -5.1%+18.8%-1.1% +4.2%
Year to date -3.0%+48.7%+0.2% +10.6%
1 year -18.0%+51.0%+8.8% +10.4%
3 years -3.9%+77.1%+5.4% +73.6%
3 years, per year -1.3%+21.0%+1.8% +20.2%
5 years +120.2%+3.7%-15.0% +61.6%
5 years, per year +17.1%+0.7%-3.2% +10.1%
10 years —+27.5%+78.2% +261.3%
10 years, per year —+2.5%+5.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureLKNCYLOCOYUMCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 43.4%34.8%25.8% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 37.6%31.4%24.3% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.400.390.24 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.411.470.34 0.81
Max drawdown, 5Y -58.9%-47.2%-54.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -19.4%-9.6%-17.4% -3.2%
52-week high $40.30$17.20$57.95 $779.14
52-week low $27.67$10.07$39.98 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleLKNCYLOCOYUMC
P/E now vs peer median 16.7xmedian 21.1x 13.3xmedian 21.1x 17.1xmedian 21.1x
P/S now vs peer median 1.2xmedian 1.1x 0.9xmedian 1.1x 1.3xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.4xmedian 13.4x 7.0xmedian 13.4x 8.2xmedian 13.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 8.7xmedian 17.4x 11.5xmedian 17.4x 17.6xmedian 17.4x
P/B now vs peer median 4.0xmedian 3.1x 1.5xmedian 3.1x 2.7xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 0.88median 0.91 0.64median 0.91 1.03median 0.91

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsLKNCYLOCOYUMC
Revenue $8.56B $500.79M $12.44B
Gross profit $5.21B $161.41M $2.14B
Operating income $943.76M $52.67M $1.38B
Net income $642.83M $34.86M $1.05B
Free cash flow $1.20B $41.01M $940.00M
EPS (diluted) $1.94 $1.16 $2.79
Cash & equivalents $1.13B $13.30M $485.00M
Total debt $484.28M $30.00M $66.00M
Shares (diluted) 321.02M 30.09M 349.00M
Enterprise value $6.28B $455.58M $10.93B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricLKNCYLOCOYUMC
P/E 16.7x 13.3x 17.1x
P/FCF 8.7x 11.5x 17.6x
P/Operating cash flow 8.7x 6.4x 10.5x
P/S 1.2x 0.9x 1.3x
P/B 4.0x 1.5x 2.7x
P/Tangible book 4.0x 1.9x 2.8x
EV/EBITDA 13.4x 7.0x 8.2x
EV/EBIT 9.6x 9.3x 11.0x
EV/Revenue 1.1x 1.0x 1.2x
EV/FCF 7.5x 12.0x 16.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 7.5x 6.6x 9.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.88 0.64 1.03

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLKNCYLOCOYUMC
Revenue growth (1Y) 33.7% 4.4% 8.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 41.5% 2.0% 6.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 31.3% 8.4% 9.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 43.1% 8.3% 5.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 30.4% 33.5% 12.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 29.2% 14.6% 10.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 18.9% 41.0% 6.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 20.4% 14.0% 9.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 13.1% 37.1% 13.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 19.0% 20.7% 16.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 20.4% 97.0% 9.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 30.2% 15.1% -3.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 20.4% 98.0% 12.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 30.2% 13.3% -4.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLKNCYLOCOYUMC
Gross margin 60.8% 32.2% 17.2%
EBITDA margin 7.9% 13.9% 14.9%
Operating margin 11.0% 10.5% 11.1%
Pretax margin 11.2% 9.8% 11.5%
Net margin 7.3% 7.0% 7.8%
FCF margin 14.0% 8.2% 7.6%
Operating cash flow margin 14.0% 14.8% 12.7%
Return on equity 25.4% 11.2% 17.3%
Return on assets 11.8% 5.7% 9.7%
Return on invested capital 32.4% 10.8% 16.5%
Return on capital employed 27.9% 9.9% 16.4%
Asset turnover 1.6x 0.8x 1.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.9x 2.1x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue – 1.1% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLKNCYLOCOYUMC
Debt / assets 8.5% 4.8% 0.6%
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.1x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA -2.1x 0.2x -0.7x
Debt / FCF 0.4x 0.7x 0.1x
Liabilities / assets 54.4% 48.8% 44.2%
Equity / assets 45.6% 51.2% 55.8%
Interest coverage 431.4x 14.9x –
Current ratio 1.4x 0.4x 1.0x
Quick ratio 0.9x 0.3x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.9x 0.2x 0.6x
Altman Z-score 4.30 2.08 3.83

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLKNCYLOCOYUMC
Dividend yield – – 2.3%
Net buyback yield – -0.7% 7.9%
Shareholder yield – -0.7% 10.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 35.7%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 40.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 24.5%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 21.6%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusLKNCYLOCOYUMC
Forward P/E 15.0xFY2026 16.0xFY2026 15.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.16FY2026 $0.97FY2026 $3.04FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +35.0%FY2026 -1.0%FY2026 +21.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +28.2% +22.7% +15.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $9.64BFY2026 $481.37MFY2026 $12.37BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +36.7%FY2026 -1.8%FY2026 +4.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +20.8% +6.1% +6.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLKNCYLOCOYUMC
Held by institutions 0.0% 93.3% 66.8%
Institutions holding 9 152 661
Change in shares held, QoQ +880.6% +7.1% +1.4%
Institutions buying 5 89 262
Institutions selling 0 42 231
Buyers to sellers – 2.12 1.13

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

LKNCYLOCOYUMC
LKNCY 1.00 0.02 0.23
LOCO 0.02 1.00 0.25
YUMC 0.23 0.25 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LKNCY, LOCO and YUMC?

Yum China Holdings (YUMC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) $11.19B, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) $489.91M, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) $17.27B.

Which stock is cheaper, LKNCY, LOCO and YUMC?

El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 17.9x, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 14.0x, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) 17.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) is cheapest (Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 15.0x, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 16.0x, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) 15.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) +33.7%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +4.4%, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) +8.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Yum China Holdings (YUMC) has the highest net margin (Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 7.3%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 7.0%, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) 7.8%). On return on invested capital, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) leads (Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 32.4%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 10.8%, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) 16.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) returned the most: Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) -18.0%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +51.0%, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) +8.8%. Over five years, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) compounded fastest (Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) +17.1%/yr, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) +0.7%/yr, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) -3.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 0.00%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 0.00%, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) 0.02%. Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) and El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) has been the steadiest (Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) 43.4%, El Pollo Loco Holdings (LOCO) 34.8%, Yum China Holdings (YUMC) 25.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, LKNCY, LOCO and YUMC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Luckin Coffee (LKNCY) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.