Yum Brands is set to report second-quarter earnings Thursday, but analysts are focused on the impact of the cyclospora outbreak linked to Taco Bell. Placer.ai data shows daily traffic to Taco Bell locations has dropped by double digits since the FDA linked the parasitic outbreak to lettuce served by the chain. Yum shares have fallen 5%, bringing the company’s market value to about $42 billion. The outbreak has sickened at least 1,947 people with 98 hospitalizations, according to the CDC. Taco Bell, one of Yum Brands’ twin growth engines alongside KFC, has pulled the implicated iceberg lettuce and its CEO has written an open letter to win back customers. Wall Street analysts have revised their full-year earnings estimates downward for Yum Brands.
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