Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) early Thursday posted mixed fourth quarter earnings results, with sales at KFC and Taco Bell growing but Pizza Hut lagging behind.

By StockNews.com

The Louisville, KY-based fast food chain operator reported Q4 EPS of $0.79, which was $0.06 better than the Wall Street consensus estimate of $0.73. Revenues rose 2.4% from last year to $2.02 billion, just missing the $2.04 billion analyst view.

YUM said its KFC Division same-store sales (SSS) rose +3% in the fourth quarter, while Pizza Hut Division SSS fell -2%. Taco Bell Division SSS gained +3%, while overall Worldwide SSS rose +1%.

Same-store sales are considered a key indicator of a restaurant chain’s health, since they measure only the year-over-year performance of stores open for at least twelve months.

The company’s President and CFO, David Gibbs, commented via press release:

“I am pleased with our fourth quarter core operating profit growth of 27%, which was a solid end to an extraordinary year. As a testament to the power of our brands, KFC and Taco Bell had relatively strong performance in December, despite difficult U.S. industry conditions. This momentum has continued into the new year. As we look forward, we are confident in our three-year plans and there is no change to our long-term guidance.”

Yum! Brands, Inc. shares rose $0.41 (+0.62%) in premarket trading Thursday. Year-to-date, YUM has gained 5.64%, versus a 2.55% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

YUM currently has a StockNews.com POWR Rating of A (Strong Buy), and is ranked #2 of 54 stocks in the Restaurants category.