Yum fueled by brand turnarounds

Yum! Brands Inc. got all three of its brands heading in the right direction in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 26, at least in its home U.S. market.

KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell all reported improving sales during the quarter. That’s encouraging for the Louisville, Ky.-based company that will rely on the U.S. market more in the near future, as Yum prepares to spin off its China operations to concentrate on being a “pure-play” franchisor.

“It was our best quarter in three