Modern pizza is thought to have evolved from ancient flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy, in the 18th or 19th century.
In recent times, many companies have served up different delicious versions of the famous dish. However, few have succeeded in scaling up their businesses in the $161 billion industry to achieve consistent growth as publicly listed entities.
We have excluded companies that participate in other businesses. Let’s take a look at the charts of some of the most consistent performers in the business in the U.S. that are publicly listed.
Although the 2021-2022 market downturn affected these stocks as well, they have proved to be comparatively resilient. They also fall under the Consumer Staples Sector which is a ‘safe haven’ cyclical sector that thrives in market downturns.
YUM Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM)
YUM Brands
Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky
Year Established: 1997
Gross Sales: $5,579,000,000
Founders: Brian Cornell, David Gibbs, Tracy Skeans
Domino’s Pizza (NYSE: DPZ)
Headquarters Location: Anne Arbor, Michigan
Year Established: 1960
Gross Sales: $12,252,100,000
Founders: James Monaghan, Tom Monaghan
Papa John’s International Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA)
Headquarters Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Year Established: 1984
Gross Sales: $3,695,000,000
Founder: John Schnatter
From the chart comparison, the most volatile stock is Papa John’s which experienced a sharp drop in 2016 and the current leader is YUM Brands with its steadier progression.
While Domino’s (NASDAQ: DPZ) is the company with the largest revenue, YUM Brands (NYSE:YUM) has experienced the least amount of volatility since its inception so far.
Although past performance may not always be an indicator of future performance, barring any other information, YUM has proved to be the most reliable brand in the pizza business.