By Matthew Miguel L. Castillo, Researcher

SHARES of Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) ticked up last week as the company affirmed positive developments in 2025 and outlined its global growth objectives, analysts said.

Data from the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) showed that Jollibee was the sixth most actively traded stock by value last week, with 6.28 million shares worth P1.31 billion changing hands by Friday.

On a weekly basis, Jollibee’s share price rose 1.5% to P213.40 from the previous week’s close of P209. This outpaced the industrial sector’s 1% gain but remained below the PSE index’s (PSEi) 1.8% increase.

Year to date, the stock has climbed 16.1% from P180 at the end of 2025, outperforming the industrial sector’s 6.2% and the PSEi’s 6.8% growth over the same period.

During the Jan. 12-16 period, JFC released separate disclosures on its 2025 performance and plans for strategic international expansion.

Chief Finance Officer Richard Shin said the Philippine-based fastfood giant was preparing an international spin-off, targeting a US listing by late 2027.

Mr. Shin added that the move would “improve transparency” and allow investors to assess the domestic and international businesses on their own merits.

This statement was followed by an update to an earlier evaluation of the company’s 2025 performance, reaffirming positive results.

Investors reacted favorably to the disclosures, analysts said.

Juan Alfonso G. Teodoro, equity trader at Timson Securities, noted that the update on 2025 results “helped confirm momentum,” while the international spin-off provided a forward-looking catalyst.

Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan added that the disclosures validated investor expectations, prompting a shift from speculative positioning toward more measured accumulation.

Mr. Teodoro observed that the stock has been recovering from a 52-week low of P172.70 last month, and last week’s developments “helped accelerate” the rebound as investor confidence improved.

Mr. Limlingan noted that the disclosures served more as consolidating factors rather than primary drivers of the recent upward momentum.

Investors responded positively to Jollibee’s global strategy, which signals stability and independent growth domestically and internationally.

“This framing sharpens the investment case, as buying JFC increasingly represents exposure to both defensiveness and growth optionality,” Mr. Limlingan said.

However, he cautioned that the stock has remained range-bound despite the positive developments, with markets awaiting execution of key milestones.

“While details of the spin-off are still evolving, the potential for shareholders to eventually participate in JFCI has helped underpin sentiment,” he added.

According to Jollibee’s latest quarterly report for the third quarter of 2025, attributable net income rose 8% to P3.03 billion, while revenues grew 13.1% to P72.6 billion. This brought the first nine months of 2025 totals to P8.65 billion in net income and P211.5 billion in revenues.

For the first quarter of 2026, Mr. Teodoro projects earnings of P3.51 billion.

Aside from company-specific news, upbeat market sentiment, expectations of another rate cut, and speculation of higher demand for food and dining may have also supported the stock last week, he added.

For this week, Mr. Limlingan said near-term support is seen at P200, with a stronger downside buffer at P190, “where prior buying interest emerged.”

Resistance levels are placed at P216 to P223, “marking a more meaningful technical ceiling from earlier in the year.”

Mr. Teodoro set the support and resistance levels at P209-211 and P220-225, respectively.